Working around people who drink 5 or 6 energy drinks a day for years. Also consume 1 or 2 a day on average.
Keep seeing everyone talk about how dangerous they are, yet nothing about what makes them dangerous.
Edit: Answers to questions.
Wow, thanks for all the info. Amazing feedback!
Based on feedback, I’d like to specify and give some info of my own. To get more detailed info if possible.
Reign energy drinks have 300mg caffeine. I’ve seen people crush a 12 pack in 2 or 3 days. What are the risks they are giving themselves? The sugar-free ones are not usually consumed, but I have some, and they have 200mg caffeine in each.
I also drink those 5 hour energy drinks too but I will substitute 1 5hr drink for 1 energy drink and will never consume more than 3 in a day. Is that still within a healthy limit?
My routine is as follows:
Wake up, eat breakfast within 2 hours. Drink 1 energy booster an hour or 2 after that, and then wait 4-5 hours and drink another. I have a hard stop on all caffeine and sugar 5 hours before bedtime to help get down off the energy high and sleep better.
A lot of people talked about the sugar and the sugar free drinks. Yet, I see a lot of sugar substitutions like Sucralose, Stevia, aspartame, etc… I have no idea if these are better/safer than actual sugar but I do consume sugar free variants from time to time.
I guess a more detailed title would be, as someone with high heart risks, what are the dangerous levels of caffeine, sugar, and sugar substitutes for me to consume?
I’m wondering now if there is anything else in these drinks that could be a harm. I’ve read the labels on the ones I have and I’m seeing “proprietary blend” on several of them. The ingredients listed afterward are vague and little contact is given. Anyone know what is in them?
Edit #2: Info about why I started drinking them and what led to this post.
I work 17 hour days for 15 days straight. I get 7 hours between shifts to shower and sleep. Pretty much go go go till I get days off. The first day or 2, I die and hardly get out of bed.
I started drinking energy drinks to keep me going, but if I drink them on days off, it is because I’m having caffeine withdrawals and a huge headache.
My wife is super worried about me because I have a history of heart disease in my family, and too much could easily do serious damage.
Can I cold turkey quit energy drink? Will it have any effects other than the severe headache I’ve already experienced from trying to refrain?
In: Other
>Will it have any effects other than the severe headache I’ve already experienced from trying to refrain?
Headaches are the most common withdrawal symptom of caffeine. Basically, your body loves to have homeostasis. Caffeine causes certain blood vessels in your head to constrict. This means that when you consume caffeine your body creates more chemical signals to dilate the same blood vessels to ensure that you have the correct amount of flow. Your body is even smart enough to anticipate the caffeine entering your system if you take it on a regular basis and will start compensating for the constriction. It is this anticipation of your regular caffeine intake that causes you to have headaches. This anticipation is also why people feel tired in the morning before they have their morning coffee if it is a routine – the body is anticipating the stimulant and compensating for it. It is also why you begin to feel the effects less over the long term as your body learns to compensate for the high.
Other withdrawal symptoms of caffeine include fatigue, decreased energy/activeness, decreased alertness, drowsiness, decreased contentedness, depressed mood, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and feeling foggy/not clearheaded.
>I work 17 hour days for 15 days straight. I get 7 hours between shifts to shower and sleep. Pretty much go go go till I get days off. The first day or 2, I die and hardly get out of bed.
This is terrible for your body. You need to have 7-8 hours of good sleep each and every night and failure to do so will cause a lot of chronic long term health issues over time including things like high blood pressure, weakened immune system, mental fog, and cardiovascular issues. The immune system weakeness caused by a chronic lack of sleep also increases your risk of developing cancers and when you get sick you will get more sick and stay sick for longer as your immune system takes longer to muster a defense.
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