Summary: The main benefit of drinking energy drinks is that they’re designed to improve energy levels, enhance concentration, and strengthen focus.
Energy drinks contain caffeine, b group vitamins, and other ingredients designed to give you an energy boost. Many energy drinks include sugar, taurine, ginseng, or guarana – which are energy-boosting components of an energy drink.
Huge brands like Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar dominate the market globally, but there are lots of great alternatives to these brands out there in every corner of the world too.
In this article, I want to talk a little about some of the benefits of drinking energy drinks.
But, this won’t be all praise for energy drinks, because if they are consumed in excess they can cause some potential health problems. So, please, don’t overdo it.
But, I’ll spend most of my time focusing on the positives, because, in my opinion, energy drinks are great if they are consumed in moderation.
Benefits of Drinking Energy Drinks
They give you more energy
This one is pretty obvious but is one of the main benefits people seek in an energy drink.
The average energy drink contains about as much caffeine as a regular cup of coffee, which helps to keep you awake and alert.
Because of the high caffeine content that’s usually in energy drinks, they help you to maintain your focus and attentiveness on whatever it is that you’re doing.
You might be surprised to look at your productivity levels after drinking an energy drink and just how much you’re able to get done.
There’s likely to be a huge improvement in that area.
Standardized caffeine content
Different brands and types of energy drinks contain different amounts of caffeine.
The caffeine content in energy drinks is standardized in each can (based on its type and brand).
This is great for those of us who want to make sure that we’re not taking in too much caffeine.
It makes it easier for us to know exactly how much caffeine we’re consuming, unlike with a regular cup of coffee, which has a fair amount of variability from cup to cup.
Check the table below to see the caffeine content of some popular energy drink brands:
| Energy Drink | Caffeine |
| REIZE | 50mg |
| Monster | 160mg |
| Rockstar | 160mg |
| Red Bull | 75mg (depending on size) |
| Bang | 300mg |
Great taste
Yes, energy drinks often taste great. In fact, some people drink energy drinks just because they like the taste and they don’t even really care much about the other benefits.
Black coffee has zero calories, but in general, it’s not something that most people think tastes good. I for one don’t like the taste of black coffee, but I love the taste of most energy drinks.
Energy drinks also come in a wide variety of flavors, so you probably won’t have to look too far before you find something that suits your tastebuds.
If you are concerned about the sugar content in an energy drink, nowadays there are a lot of sugar-free energy drinks available.
Improves concentration and memory
The main reason for this awesome phenomenon is the caffeine that is commonly found in energy drinks.
Energy drinks can help to improve your mental performance.
There have been studies linking caffeine to improved long-term memory.
Caffeine increases your ability to concentrate and helps you to focus while taking in information, which then makes it easier to remember the information.
Faster post-workout recovery
When you’re working out, you sweat and when that happens you lose energy, water, and electrolytes.
Over time this can make you feel dehydrated and you’ll start to notice a drop in your performance.
A lot of energy drinks are carb-based which are good as a post-workout drink.
This is because the carbohydrates in energy drinks help replenish the energy that’s lost during your workout.
Energy drinks also contain sodium which is great for all your post-workout needs.
Sodium in energy drinks helps you to replenish the electrolytes lost during your workout keeping your performance at an optimal level.
What are the pros and cons of energy drinks?
Pros
- They give you a good energy boost. If you’re looking to give your energy levels a little jolt, energy drinks are perfect for exactly that. Energy drinks often contain both sugar and caffeine, both of which give you an energy boost. However, I prefer energy drinks that don’t have any sugar so that I don’t have to suffer a sugar crash.
- Energy drinks are a convenient pick-me-up option. Energy drinks come in either ready-to-drink cans or as powders in sachets or tubs. Both of these are easier to transport than a cup of coffee, but the powder energy drinks are certainly more convenient than the ready-to-drink cans because of their lightweight and tiny packaging. Easier to carry around, and they provide you with a great energy boost compared to a regular cup of coffee, which doesn’t have all of the B-group vitamins and other good stuff that are included in many energy drinks.
If you find that you’re having a hard time concentrating and remembering things, energy drinks can help.Energy drinks contain caffeine which has been proven to help improve concentration and memory.
Most energy drinks contain tons of B vitamins such as vitamin B12, B6, Niacin (B3) and Riboflavin (B2).These vitamins play an important role in your overall bodily function and are crucial to maintaining good health and general well being.
Cons
- They can become addictive. Some energy drinks contain tons and tons of caffeine which is a type of stimulant. Over time, as our body gets used to the stimulating effects of caffeine, higher doses of caffeine will be needed in order to experience the same kind of energy high that you previously felt.
- Side effects from the high level of caffeine. Consuming high doses of caffeine can cause some pretty nasty side effects such as anxiety, insomnia, and even high blood pressure.
- Sleep deprivation. When drunk within 4 hours of bed, you may find it hard to fall asleep.
- Weight gain. Many energy drinks contain lots of sugar. Sugar is broken down as glucose and sucrose in your body which results in weight gain if consumed in excess. I would definitely recommend steering clear of energy drinks that are high in sugar and opting for something a little friendlier for your waistline.
This causes your cells to not absorb as much glucose as they should, resulting in high blood sugar levels, which may eventually lead to diabetes.
As stated on the label on nearly every energy drink, pregnant women should avoid drinking them. The high caffeine content in energy drinks can potentially cause a miscarriage.If you love energy drinks, but you’re pregnant – I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to give them up for a while.
What are the benefits of drinking Red Bull?
Red Bull gives you an energy boost after drinking it.
The energy that you get from a can of Red Bull helps to keep you awake and alert, which often does wonders for your productivity levels.
Red Bull also contains lots of additional nutrients such as taurine, B vitamins, and glucose (sugar).
If you are looking for a post-workout drink to speed up your recovery process, Red Bull might just do the trick.
Just like most other energy drinks, Red Bull is widely consumed by athletes both before and after competitions or practice sessions.
The reason behind it is that energy drinks like Red Bull have a lot of carbohydrates and sodium in them, which may be desirable in some situations.
Did I mention that it’s also convenient to carry around?
Red Bull comes in 8.4 fl. oz cans which makes it convenient to drink anywhere and anytime. The only thing more convenient than a small can is a tiny little sachet that contains most of the same ingredients, plus more.
But more on that later…
How many Red Bulls can you drink in a day?
A single can of Red Bull contains 80mg of caffeine and 27g of sugar.
The sugar-free version of Red Bull contains 114mg of caffeine and 0g of sugar.
According to the FDA, the recommended maximum daily dosage for caffeine is 400mg. Whereas, for sugar, it’s 37.5g for men and 25g for women according to the American Heart Association.
Personally, I think drinking 2 cans of Red Bull a day is fine, despite consuming more sugar than what is recommended. I don’t think this is going to do too much harm to your body in the short term.
However, it does make sense that if you exceed the daily recommended sugar intake consistently over a longer period of time you might eventually encounter some health issues associated with excessive sugar intake.
That’s why I would recommend that you opt for the sugar-free version of Red Bull, which contains 114mg of caffeine and no sugar.
Do your own research and talk to your doctor before making any dietary changes.
What happens if you drink energy drinks every day?
Personally, if you drink energy drinks every day, I don’t think it’s bad per se, but it can have some negative side effects on your health and body.
Energy drinks contain caffeine and sometimes tons of it.
Consuming caffeine frequently will lead to your body getting used to its stimulating effects.
This can cause caffeine addiction, as you would then need to consume a higher dosage of caffeine to feel the same energy high.
If this cycle continues for long enough your health will start deteriorating.
Too much caffeine consumption can cause some pretty nasty side effects such as loss of bone mass, insomnia, tooth decay, and even high blood pressure.
If you think that’s all, some energy drinks also contain tons of sugar.
Sugar causes our body to produce dopamine (a feel-good hormone), which explains why we tend to crave sugary foods.
Consume too much of it and you’ll likely start to experience side effects such as weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay, and even premature aging.
If you’re a strong-willed person and you don’t think that you’ll become addicted to caffeine and sugar, by all means, go ahead and drink energy drinks every day.
However, in my opinion, I always think it’s best to consume energy drinks in moderation and not every single day as “prevention is always better than cure.”
REIZE (10 out of 10)
If you’re looking for an energy drink that is safe to consume occasionally, I recommend REIZE Energy!
A single serving of REIZE contains only 50mg of caffeine and is sugar-free. Also, it’s infused with energy-boosting components like taurine, ginseng, and B vitamins.
The best part?
REIZE only costs around $1 per drink (including shipping) and ships right to your door, making it much more affordable than most other energy drinks.
Give REIZE a try today!