In classrooms everywhere, students arrive at school with energy drinks in one hand and breakfast in the other. This causes concern because of the many negative side effects that caffeine has on people such as fast heart rate, anxiety, headaches, restlessness, and nausea.
According to the American Medical Association, “85% of adults consume 135 milligrams of caffeine daily in the U.S. This is equivalent to 12 ounces of coffee.”
When asked about caffeine, Makaela Connaker, a student at Meridian World School, stated, “I drink an energy drink every morning because it gets me hyped up for school. The most energy drinks I have had in a day was five, but when I did that, I could not sleep for two days.”
Caffeine is a substance found in many plants. It stimulates the brain and nervous system, causing an increase in alertness. Many students believe it to be the key to making it through the school day. However, when drinking multiple energy drinks a day, or simply starting the day with tea or coffee, the question becomes: are students benefiting from, or harmed by the negative side effects?
On social media, starting your day with a cup of coffee is often normalized and seen as an aesthetic beginning to your day. They add many elements to the drink such as chocolate, caramel, and whipped cream; all high in sugar.
When this reaches young children who watch media online, the idea of having coffee first thing in the morning starts to seem like a normal part of life, enticing them to participate and drink caffeine every day.
Students have reported that when they drink coffee in the morning, they start the day off with a lot of energy and the ability to retain information from school. Opposite to this, they also say that once the caffeine wears off, their exhaustion is amplified in comparison to if they had not had any at all.
According to Eden Linnartz, a 10th-grade student, “After drinking a refresher with caffeine from Starbucks, I feel happier than ever. Whenever I’m sad, I go to Starbucks and it’s a great place to both study and talk with my friends.”
One of the parts of this global problem that goes unnoticed is the attachment that many people have to caffeine. Many adults can’t go a day without caffeine in some form and as it is becoming more normalized, the same is happening for young students.
Caffeine does not only appear in obvious beverages such as coffee or tea. It also comes in some drinks such as soda. 36% of children at the young ages of 1-5 are reported to drink highly sweetened beverages such as soda, many of which contain caffeine. This can cause an unknown addiction at very young ages which may ultimately stem into adulthood.
Healthline.com suggests drinking lemon water as a healthy alternative to coffee due to its ample dose of vitamin C and its ability to support your immune system.
Jane Whitaker, a student, when asked about possibly trying this alternative, stated, “I would try lemon water because caffeine is not the best for you and decreases your brain function. I know that every time I eat an orange, it wakes me up so, citrus could be a good substitute for me.”
All in all, caffeine has been a staple in school for many years now, without the ability to be fully extinguished. All we can do now is encourage students to use their caffeine intake in moderation and possibly substitute it for other solutions here and there.
