A public health nightmare is looming over Berkeley High School: energy drinks. Filled with caffeine and other stimulants, energy drinks are designed to increase the “energy” of the person drinking them. The old adage, "if it's too good to be true, it probably is," holds correct regarding energy drinks. Despite what some energy drink companies might market, these drinks come with some pretty bad side effects. It is vital that the usage of energy drinks should not be normalized, and BHS must institute programs to educate students about the dangers of energy drinks.
Energy drinks are one way to stay up late, but they are not without risks. According to the Cleveland Clinic, drinking energy drinks like Monster and Red Bull will increase your risk of anxiety, depression, diarrhea, hallucinations, nausea, tooth decay, and stroke. It may be hard to believe, but rarely, ingesting an energy drink can cause a condition known as reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), which can restrict blood flow to the brain or cause a hemorrhage. In addition, according to an article from University of California Davis Health, the combination of energy drink’s high caffeine content and the presence of various stimulants increases users’ risk of heart disease. Nevertheless, BHS students still consume energy drinks. Many high school students still want to be able to feel more awake in order to be able to more easily complete all of their homework and/or participate in athletic activities, which often last very late. Understandably, many would turn to the readily available option of energy drinks to solve the problem of sleepiness. Nevertheless, students who want to stay healthy should avoid them. Fortunately, there are much better options than energy drinks. For example, according to the Cleveland Clinic, drinking a sufficient amount of water (48 to 64 ounces per day), eating well-balanced meals, and staying active will help you to be more wakeful. If students must use stimulants, tea or coffee is preferable to energy drinks. While they also contain caffeine, they do not contain the other harmful chemicals found in energy drinks.
Energy drinks are dangerous. Their prevalence should be considered an extremely high-priority public health issue, both at BHS and nationwide. In order to ensure the safety of BHS students from these harmful drinks, BHS must create a program to inform students about the harmful effects of energy drinks and the alternatives to them. This program could be integrated into the existing Ethnic Studies curriculum about drug use and sexual health. We must stop energy drinks from ruining the health of BHS students!