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Do Energy Drinks Make You Anxious? (Solved)

A women sitting on the floor
Energy drinks can induce many side effects like anxiety

Energy drinks are quite a powerful potion, they include ingredients that are potent, but can cause side effects if overconsumed. Energy drinks are primarily for athletes, gym rats, or people who work physically demanding jobs.

Energy drinks have been known to induce a number of side effects that may worsen with time. However, the most common side effects show up when caffeine is consumed in immoderation. If you consume more than 400 mg of caffeine in a day, it can lead to increased heart rate, restlessness, and anxiety.

Caffeine tolerance is different for every person, while some people may be able to process 400 mg of caffeine or more, others may not be able to process 50 mg of caffeine.

Energy drinks include urge doses of caffeine as it’s the main ingredient that can boost your energy levels, nevertheless, I don’t suggest you overconsume them as they can even cause heart attacks.

If you’re wondering how energy drinks are so effective, keep on reading.

Can Energy Drinks Bring Anxiety?

The prime ingredient of energy drinks is caffeine and caffeine stimulates your brain and the central nervous system, which may cause anxiety if consumed in immoderation.

Moreover, FDA suggests that you limit your daily caffeine ingestion to 400 mg in order to avoid side effects that may include:

  • Restlessness and shakiness.
  • Insomnia.
  • Headaches.
  • Dizziness.
  • Fast heart rate.
  • Dehydration.
  • Anxiety.
  • Dependency.

In addition, 400 mg isn’t for everyone as there are caffeine-sensitive people who may experience awful side effects after consuming such a high dose.

Here’s a list of side effects associated with caffeine sensitivity:

  • Increased heartbeat.
  • Headache.
  • Jitters.
  • Nervousness.
  • Anxiousness.
  • Restlessness.
  • Insomnia.

Can Red Bull Increase Anxiety?

A can of Red Bull placed on edge of a surface
Red Bull is one of the most dangerous energy drinks

Red Bull is one of the most well-known and most consumed energy drink brands and it holds the largest market share. Red Bull may just be the first energy drink that people consume because Red Bull is available almost in every region.

Nonetheless, what people fail to realize is that one serving of Red Bull includes 80 mg of caffeine and 27 g of sugar with 110 calories. Now all these can cause side effects like increased heart rate and anxiety, especially when consumed in immoderation.

Furthermore, Researchers have associated several side effects with chronic and immoderate consumption of Red Bull.

Here’s a list of those side effects:

  • Can significantly increase your blood pressure levels and heart rate.
  • Increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
  • May induce damage to your teeth.
  • May even negatively impact your kidney health.
  • Can lead to caffeine overdose and even possible toxicity.

Here’s the table for the nutritional facts about Red Bull:

Nutrition FactsAmount Per ServingRecommended Daily Amount
Energy110 calories2000-2400
Fat0.2 g65 g
Carbohydrate28 g300 g
of which Sugar27 g50 g
Protein0.6 g50 g
Sodium98 mg2400 mg
Magnesium7.7 mg310 mg-420 mg
Niacin140%20 mg
Vitamin B65 mg2 mg
Vitamin B125.1 µg6 mcg
Calcium33.5 mg1000 mg
Nutritional facts about Red Bull

Does Monster Causes Anxiety?

The name Monster sounds quite dangerous, and let me tell you that the Monster energy drink really is dangerous as one serving of Monster includes 160 mg of caffeine with 54 g of sugar and 210 calories.

Mind you that 54 g of sugar is quite a lot, in fact, it exceeds the daily recommended dose. If anything is being consumed in immoderation, it’s known to cause side effects like anxiety.

Moreover, people claim that the very formula of Monster is harmful and young adults have been reported to be experiencing a significant increase in their heart rate.

In addition, Monster has faced a number of lawsuits as it allegedly caused heart attacks which led many people to their graves.

Check out this video to see how energy drinks are affecting you.

Energy drink increases the risk of many side effects

Can 1 Energy Drink A Day Harm You?

Energy drinks have become the most popular beverage, and everyone is consuming them, even teenagers. Moreover, primarily energy drinks are consumed by athletes or anyone who work a physically demanding job.

If you’re consuming one serving of energy drink in a day, you are less likely to experience any side effects as compared to people who consume more than one serving.

However, it depends on which energy drink you’re consuming as energy drinks with larger doses of sugar can induce side effects that may include:

  • Headaches.
  • Irritability.
  • Fatigue.
  • Difficulty concentrating.
  • Feeling jittery.
  • Anxiousness.
  • Feeling shaky.
  • Dizziness.
  • Increases cellular aging.
  • Can cause acne.
  • Hunger.
  • Bloating.

While in serious cases, sugar intake can cause:

  • Higher blood pressure.
  • Inflammation.
  • Weight gain.
  • Diabetes.
  • Fatty liver disease.
  • Increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

Energy drinks also include huge doses of caffeine, but caffeine is supposed to be there as it’s an active ingredient that significantly increases your mental and physical performance.

Moreover, even if caffeine causes side effects, they aren’t as bad as side effects linked with excessive sugar intake.

AHA recommends women and men 24 g (which is about 6 teaspoons) and 36 g (which is about 9 teaspoons) of sugar per day.

In my opinion, sugar isn’t necessary for your daily diet as there haven’t been any side effects linked with lack of sugar.

Are Energy Drinks Worse Than Coffee?

A cup of coffee
Coffee is much better than the most energy drink

Coffee is a simple source of caffeine, but energy drinks are created with many ingredients that are potent. In addition, one cup of coffee includes 100 mg of caffeine, while one serving of any energy drink may include 80 mg to 300 mg of caffeine.

Personally, I believe that energy drinks are worse than coffee because you can consume more than one cup of coffee without risking side effects, however, if you consume more than one serving of an energy drink, you may experience side effects linked with excessive caffeine and sugar intake.

In addition, energy drinks include excessive calories which may cause weight gain, according to the research, women, and men are supposed to consume 2000 and 2500 calories per day.

If you’re consuming too many energy drinks, it could increase your daily intake of calories, so go for the drinks that have zero to low calories.

What Are the Signs Of A Caffeine Overdose?

Caffeine overdose is likely to happen when you consume more than 400 mg of caffeine daily. Now, you may be wondering, how would you know that you’re experiencing a caffeine overdose.

Well, I’m sure that caffeine overdose won’t make you feel good.

Here’s a list of signs of caffeine overdose:

  • Breathing trouble.
  • Dizziness.
  • Agitation.
  • Confusion.
  • Hallucinations.
  • Nausea.
  • Vomiting.
  • Seizures.
  • Muscle stiffness.

How Do You Get Off Energy Drinks?

When you start consuming energy drinks, there’s no going back. I’m just humoring you. Well, energy drinks include caffeine, and caffeine is known to develop dependency when consumed every day in immoderation.

If you want to cut back on your consumption of energy drinks, first you need to decrease the caffeine dose gradually.

Moreover, I don’t suggest you abruptly stop consuming caffeine at all, as it can lead to caffeine withdrawal symptoms which include:

  • Headache.
  • Fatigue.
  • Drowsiness.
  • Dysphoric mood like depression and irritability.
  • Difficulty concentrating.
  • Nausea.
  • Vomiting.
  • Muscle pain or stiffness.

Alternatives To Energy Drinks

A cup of green tea
Green tea can be a good energy-boosting drink

Energy drinks may be too much for some people, and if you’re trying to cut back, check out the list below for some alternatives:

  • Green Tea.
  • Herbal Tea.
  • Kombucha.
  • Fruit and Green Smoothies.
  • Fruit juice.
  • Green Juice.

Energy drinks aren’t entirely bad, there’re some healthy energy drinks that you can switch to, check out the list below:

  • Irn Bru Energy
  • Zoa Energy
  • Runa Clean Energy
  • OCA Energy

Conclusion

  • Energy drinks are mainly for athletes which is why they’re created with potent ingredients.
  • Too many energy drinks are linked with side effects like increased heart rate and anxiety.
  • Caffeine and sugar are two of the most important ingredients in energy drinks, and both are associated with side effects, including anxiety and restlessness.
  • Research advises against excessive consumption of sugar and caffeine as it can be bad for your health.
  • Red Bull and Monster are two of the most renowned energy drinks brands, and both of them include huge doses of caffeine and sugar which can cause some life-threatening side effects.

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