By: Hannah Welling

    The smell of coffee in the mornings fills the hallways of Oak Hills. But why do we feel the need to drink it day after day? I asked students this very question. Many claimed they drink coffee in the morning to stay awake because they don’t get enough sleep at night. Some claimed that without caffeine they get headaches and migraines, and some just drink it because it tastes good.

     Like these students at Oak Hills, many Americans today claim that they need their caffeinated beverage of choice to simply get through the day. But how much caffeine is too much caffeine? Are teenagers addicted to caffeine? There is no doubt that the percentage of teens drinking caffeine has increased dramatically in recent years along with the negative side effects. As stated on NPR’s website (National Public Radio), teens and young adults spend almost 2.3 billion dollars on caffeinated beverages in 2015. Even the National Coffee Association is finding worrisome change in health with 31 percent of youth regularly consuming coffee. One attractive genre of caffeinated beverages, that seems to be targeted especially to teens and young adults, is the energy drink. These beverages bring the effects of caffeine to a whole new level by adding a tremendous amount of sugar to the drink. One Red Bull has the same amount of caffeine as two and a half Mountain Dew sodas. Though findings are not particularly conclusive, the risks involved with high caffeine use in teens are frightening.

    High caffeine use may lead to insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, an upset stomach, a fast heartbeat and even muscle tremors. Even more so, the lack of knowledge among teens about the contents of their drinks, and the fact that caffeine is an addictive drug, can be dangerous. Caffeine content can range from as much as 160 milligrams in some energy drinks to as little as 4 milligrams in a 1-ounce serving of chocolate-flavored syrup. Even decaffeinated coffee isn’t completely free of caffeine. Caffeine is also present in some over-the-counter products such as pain relievers and cold medications. These products can contain as little as 16 milligrams or as much as 200 milligrams of caffeine. In fact, caffeine itself is a mild painkiller and increases the effectiveness of other pain relievers. Teens should be more aware about the risks of caffeine on their health as well as day-to-day uses in order to limit their consumption in their daily life.