Around two-thirds of young adults don’t get enough sleep, and 48.2% have severe sleep deprivation. As a result, some may turn to energy drinks to compensate for that lost rest.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that the average adult’s caffeine consumption shouldn’t exceed 400 milligrams per day. Although there is some variation, energy drinks and brewed coffee both typically have a caffeine content ranging between 70 and 100 milligrams for an 8-ounce drink.
In moderation, caffeine isn’t necessarily bad for you. However, students should understand the risks of energy drinks and consider possible alternatives.
In drinks like coffee, caffeine can provide an energy boost while reducing your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, among other conditions. What sets energy drinks apart are the other ingredients they contain.
The long-term effects of these additional ingredients aren’t completely known, but some cases have linked excessive energy drink use to heart health risks. Because of risks like these, a 2025 study determined that the daily intake of energy drinks should be lower than the FDA’s recommended limit.
“Energy drinks typically have other things added to them, … and those complement, for lack of a better word, the caffeine,” said Anne Wilfong, a registered dietitian nutritionist. “You could pour yourself four cups of coffee to get roughly what you can in some of these high-dose caffeine energy drinks.”
Wilfong said energy drinks are popular because of their convenience and portability. However, she also mentioned that an unhealthy use of energy drinks can lead to nutritional gaps.
“(Energy drinks) get them in a cycle. They’re low on energy … and they’re using energy drinks to give them a burst of energy,” Wilfong said. “Caffeine … can also impact appetite, so there’s some appetite suppression. So then we’re back to square one, where they’re low on energy and they’re relying on those energy drinks to keep them going again.”
Soyam Kelifa, an international relations and global studies freshman, started regularly drinking energy drinks in high school to make up for lost sleep. She said that she’s slowly developed a dependency on them over time.
“Once you start drinking (energy drinks) regularly, it becomes difficult to be productive without them,” Kelifa said. “Because I’m so used to cracking open a drink in the morning, it’s difficult to not feel tired even if I’ve had my eight hours.”
Energy drinks aren’t going away anytime soon, especially since the energy drink market is expected to nearly double to over $150 billion by 2034. But with students consuming twice the FDA’s recommended daily caffeine limit on average, often with energy drinks, more can be done to encourage healthier habits.
For students like Kelifa looking for a convenient source of fuel, the occasional energy drink in moderation isn’t necessarily harmful. However, since alternatives like coffee and tea strengthen heart health and lower your risk for certain cancers, you should consider leaving energy drinks behind.
Instead of trying to cut caffeine out of your life entirely, make informed choices that put your health first. Don’t let a quick fix become a permanent solution — you’re worth more than an exam, a project or a sleepless night.
Mire is a civil engineering sophomore from Mansfield, Texas.
