Caffeine is a chemical stimulant most commonly found in tea, coffee, and cacao plants (the plant that produces chocolate). Too much caffeine is dangerous. A high dosage of caffeine can have many dangerous side effects.

There are many teens drinking energy drinks, such as Monster or Redbull, who have no idea what it can do to their body. Personally, when I drank a Bang Energy drink, which contains 300mg of caffeine, It made me very hyper, and not in a good way. I think they should reduce the amount of caffeine in these drinks, or maybe they should put labels saying to drink with a meal or over the span of a few hours.

Caffeine is dangerous. 300mg of caffeine in a short period of time will make you anxious, restless, and sometimes nauseous. For example, a student at Greenbrier West had 3 Monster energy drinks, which is about 260mg of caffeine, more than half the recommended daily amount for teens. Next time you think of energy drinks, think about the caffeine and not the taste because just because something tastes good doesn’t mean it is good for you. A 26-year-old Texas man died because he consumed too many energy drinks. He was reported to have consumed over 8 energy drinks a day, leading to a blockage in his heart which resulted in a heart attack.

Too much caffeine can also lead to increased heart rate, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, insomnia, dehydration, and restlessness. There is always a chance of never seeing any of the side effects, but just because something doesn’t hurt you the first time, doesn’t mean it won’t ever hurt you.