As students progress throughout their high school years, classes become more rigorous and require more attention as coursework piles up. Many Bulldogs on campus have resorted to energy drinks to make up for the lost hours of sleep from countless all-nighters to study for exams and write college applications. Yet the question of whether or not these drinks truly benefit students’ performance or if they are a health risk remains.

For many on campus, energy drinks are less about the flavor and appeal but more about the necessity. 

“I drink energy drinks whenever I have to stay up for long periods of time to finish an assignment or study for a test,” Hannah Uesugi (11) said. “This has been quite frequent this year.”

Uesugi admits that the taste of these drinks is not anything special, but they help her get through tough days when she has to study for extensive hours. To some students, consuming these drinks occasionally does not have that great of an impact; the main detrimental impacts are often brushed to the side due to the great benefits that many believe they have. 

“Obviously if you consume too much it can be bad for your health, but a lot of people I know, including myself, just ignore the risks,” Uesugi said.

Despite this, there are also several students who heavily rely on energy drinks to get through their day and ensure that they stay focused.

“I think that I drink energy drinks almost every day because after lunch I get really tired and they help me stay alert and focused during lectures or classes,” Ashley Wu (11) said.

Even in subjects that she doesn’t enjoy, Wu finds that energy drinks allow her to retain information more efficiently in comparison to if she does not consume caffeine in a day. She admits that there are several other options that a student can resort to instead of energy drinks, but they are the most effective on her attention span. 

There are also students who rarely drink energy drinks, and are not as dependent on them to get through their days.

“Energy drinks help students stay awake but I’ve heard that they also cause heart issues or other health problems,” Arya Kulkarni (11) said.

She only resorts to this quick fix if she is desperate to stay awake after sleeping for little to no hours the night before a school day. Kulkarni describes how she drinks coffee and iced teas more often than energy drinks, not only for their boosts of energy but also because they are more pleasant to consume overall.

Though energy drinks are extremely accessible on campus, there are possible impacts that the overconsumption of caffeine can have on a student’s body, especially if they are used to replace adequate amounts of sleep. Nevertheless, the consumption of these drinks is completely based on a students’ preference, and the beverages provided on campus have a dosage of caffeine that is not harmful if consumed occasionally. Each student depends on caffeine differently, yet the grind that campus life demands leaves little room to consider the possible risks.