Energy drinks have been around for quite some time, the first energy drink was in the mid-1900s, and since then thousands of energy drinks have been created that are known to provide a boost of necessary energy.
Hence, energy drinks are popular among adults as well as teenagers, which should raise health concerns.
Nonetheless, while energy drinks make you productive and active, they also make you dizzy which is one of the side effects of excessive consumption of caffeine.
Energy drinks contain huge doses of caffeine as it is a stimulant that helps to wipe out tiredness. Despite that, caffeine is known to reduce the blood flow to the brain, leading to light-headedness.
Caffeine-jacked energy drinks can cause several other side effects besides dizziness, thus it’s recommended to keep their consumption in moderation.
If you want to know more about what energy drinks can do to your health, then keep on reading. Let’s jump straight into the content!
Contents
Can Sugar In Energy Drink Make You Dizzy?
Sugar is one of the main ingredients in energy drinks, it’s included for two reasons: either to mask the bitterness of certain ingredients or to include another source of energy.
Energy drinks add a huge dose of sugar, and sugar is known to cause dizziness, especially when consumed in an immoderate amount.
Besides dizziness, excessive consumption of sugar has been associated with other side effects that include:
- Headaches.
- Irritability.
- Fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
- Feeling jittery or anxious.
- Feeling shaky or dizzy
- Hunger.
- Bloating.
- Higher blood pressure.
- Inflammation.
- Weight gain.
- Diabetes.
- Fatty liver disease.
If you want to avoid those side effects, I would advise you to steer clear of energy drinks that are high in sugar like Red Bull.
What Are Three Common Side Effects Of Energy Drinks?
Energy drinks contain many ingredients, but the one that plays the role of providing a boost of energy is caffeine.
Caffeine is an active ingredient, it stimulates the mind and the central nervous system. Moreover, caffeine enhances mental as well as physical performance which leads to increased productivity,
Thus, if energy drinks are causing you any side effects, it’s probably the high doses of caffeine. Caffeine has several benefits, but with that, it will cause some side effects.
The most common three side effects are dehydration, insomnia, and jitters. Every one of these three side effects is associated with caffeine:
- Dehydration: It happens when you remove your thirst by drinking energy drinks, rather than water.
- Insomnia: It’s caused by caffeine because caffeine is a stimulant that wipes out drowsiness and sleepiness.
- Jitters: They occur when you consume more amount than the amount your stomach is familiar with.
Energy drinks can be good for you as long as you consume them with responsibility. If you become irresponsible with the consumption of highly caffeinated energy drinks, you can experience other side effects like:
- Restlessness and shakiness.
- Headaches.
- Dizziness.
- Fast heart rate.,
- Anxiety.
- Dependency.
Other than that, energy drinks have been associated with deaths, in fact, according to the Food and Drug Administration, there have been about 34 deaths attributed to caffeinated energy drinks.
Energy drink consumption also has been linked with cardiac arrest, spontaneous coronary dissection, and myocardial infarction.
What Side Effects Do Energy Drinks Cause?
By far, you know that addiction to energy drinks can be lethal. Addiction leads you to its immoderate consumption, heading your way to experience its side effects.
The most common side effect of consuming energy drinks is fast heart rhythm. Caffeine in energy drinks increases the heart rate and blood pressure.
Moreover, in the case of underage kids, it can harm their cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Caffeine in energy drinks can be derived from many sources, natural or synthetic. The most common natural source of caffeine is Guarana which consists of the highest concentrations of caffeine, leading to an addition of an unhealthy dose of caffeine in energy drinks.
According to the FDA, a healthy person should limit their consumption of caffeine to only 400 mg per day. We know that energy drinks’ caffeine contents go up from 80 mg to 200 mg and often 300 mg.
While those huge amounts of caffeine may be tolerable for most people, some may be sensitive to caffeine which means they can’t consume even a moderate amount of caffeinated energy drinks without experiencing side effects like:
- racing heartbeat.
- headache.
- jitters.
- nervousness or anxiousness.
- restlessness.
- insomnia.
Furthermore, there’s another thing that can be caused by caffeinated energy drinks which is caffeine withdrawal, however, it’s caused by the sudden lack of caffeine.
Caffeine withdrawal is caused when people who have developed a dependency on caffeine cut back or have restricted themselves to meet their regular intake.
Here’s a list of caffeine withdrawal symptoms:
- Headaches.
- Tiredness.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Nausea.
- Muscle pain.
- Irritability.
Each of these side effects can only be associated with the high consumption of caffeinated energy drinks, making it clear that only a moderate consumption can save you from these side effects.
Is One Energy Drink A Day OK?
Therefore, if the caffeine levels of any energy drink are more than 160 mg then you should keep its consumption to one can.
Energy drinks are beneficial for you as long as you consume them moderately because, with high doses of caffeine and sugar, energy drinks have many sources of vitamins and minerals which are extremely beneficial for your health.
For example, Celsius is an energy drink that contains many vitamins and minerals, have a look for yourself through its nutritional facts table below:
| Ingredient | Celsius (12 oz) | Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) |
| Vitamin C | 60 mg | 90mg |
| Riboflavin | 1.7mg | 1.3 mg (men) / 1.1 mg (women) |
| Niacin | 20 mg | 16 mg (men) / 14 mg (women) |
| Pantothenic Acid | 10 mg | 5 mg |
| Pyridoxine | 2 mg | 1.3 mg |
| Cobalamin | Six mcg | 2.4 mcg |
| Calcium | 50 mg | 1000 mg |
| Chromium | 50 mcg | 35 mcg (men) / 25 mcg (women) |
| Sugar | 0gm | 25g (women)-36g (men) |
| Caffeine | 200mg | 400mg |
While Celsius contains all the essential vitamins and minerals, it has 200 mg of caffeine which can be too much.
What Happens When You Drink Too Many Energy Drinks?
I live by a saying which is “too much of anything is bad for you“, whether it’s an energy drink or my favorite donuts, excessive consumption will only lead to health complications.
Let’s take an example, Red Bull is one of the most consumed energy drinks, it contains 80 mg of caffeine and 27 g of sugar per only 8.4 oz a can.
Research has associated overconsumption of Red Bull with side effects that include it:
- Can increase blood pressure and heart rate
- Can damage your teeth
- May negatively affect kidney health
- May increase high-risk behavior
- May lead to caffeine overdose and toxicity
Watch this video to learn more about how energy drinks are affecting you.
Alternatives To Energy Drinks
The reason I have only talked about the side effects of energy drinks is that they’re dangerous for human health but people are turning a blind eye.
However, if you want something much healthier, check out the alternatives listed below:
- Fruit Juice
- Green Tea
- Herbal Tea
- Yerba Mate
- Ginger Root Tea
Conclusion
- Energy drinks are known to cause many side effects and one of them is dizziness.
- Two prime ingredients in energy drinks: caffeine and sugar are responsible to cause dizziness.
- The other three most commonly occurring side effects include dehydration, insomnia, and jitters.
- Energy drinks have also been associated with many serious side effects, like cardiac arrest, etc.
- In my opinion, only one to two cans per day will suffice, however, if the drink has 200 mg or more caffeine, I would say one.
- If you consume too many energy drinks every day, in the future you may suffer from severe health complications.
- If you want to stay healthy, I would suggest you keep your caffeinated energy drink consumption in moderation.