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No Crash: Find the Best Energy Drink without Sugar Crash

No Crash: Find the Best Energy Drink without Sugar Crash

In my experience with energy drinks, I think REIZE Energy is the best sugar-free energy drink that will not give you a crash.

Many of us need caffeine to function in the morning to keep us awake, stimulate our brains, and help with our physical performance too.

But with great energy drinks, often comes a great crash too. You might have noticed that some energy drinks can work well for you in the first few hours, then leave you with an almighty crash.

It hardly seems fair. You drink energy drinks to gain energy, not come crashing down in a heap after all, right?

To prevent this bitter experience, let me introduce you to some of the best energy drinks that give you energy without a sugar crash.

Let’s get started… 

Energy Drinks and Caffeine

Caffeine is the main component in an energy drink that gives you energy and makes you feel more awake.

Not a morning person here, so caffeine truly deserves an honorary mention as my official morning companion – keeping me awake.

Research suggests that this alarm clock-like property of caffeine is attributed to its ability to inhibit adenosine (a sleep-inducing brain chemical).

This is why caffeinated drinks work as a great (much-needed) energizer in the morning.

Besides that, it was also found that caffeine stimulates the brain and improves cognitive functioning, which results in improved focus, concentration, alertness, and better memory.

Maybe you’ve noticed that consuming caffeine, enables you to work or study better. That’s essentially your brain getting fired up on caffeine!

Caffeine in energy drinks can also boost physical performance, which can help you exercise better.

When drinking caffeinated drinks, you may have noticed that people react to caffeine differently, and this has to do with your caffeine tolerance, which varies from person to person.

If you are one of the chosen ones with a high tolerance, it means that you can consume higher amounts of caffeine without any notable side effects.

Even then, no matter how high your caffeine tolerance may be, it’s best not to consume more than 400mg of caffeine daily as recommended by health experts.

Energy Drinks and Sugar

Energy drinks are sometimes well known for the exorbitant amount of sugar that they contain. Some even contain up to 83.5g (21 teaspoons) of sugar, which is about the maximum amount of sugar that you should have in 2-3 days, which is kind of scary.

While it’s true that sugar can provide you with energy and perk you up when you need it, the sugar crash afterwards can be really nasty.

Consuming too much sugar is generally unhealthy for a variety of reasons. It can lead to tooth decay, weight gain, diabetes, and many other diseases.

However, many energy drinks nowadays are made with zero sugar, which is great news if you’re hoping to avoid the crash after downing one of your favorites.

Although artificial sweeteners are a better alternative to sugar, they aren’t necessarily healthy either, so you should be careful not to consume too much of them. 

Do energy drinks make you crash?

Yes, energy drinks can make you crash.

It’s mainly the sugar content in energy drinks that can cause you to experience a crash afterwards, although caffeine crashes can also happen.

Let me break down a caffeine journey after consumption for you. 

The contents of an energy drink enter your bloodstream within the first few minutes after consumption. The caffeine would then be metabolized and reach its peak absorption after around 45 minutes.

That’s when you’ll feel the maximum energy kick into your system.

After a few hours, you’ll often then start to feel the crash, where your energy levels drop significantly, making you begin to lose focus and feel sluggish.

After that, you’ll feel the withdrawal of caffeine and sugar, which may leave you craving for more – like an addiction.

Then the vicious cycle begins again.

How to Handle an Energy Drink Crash

You might be wondering if there’s any way for you to overcome the much-feared crash after consuming energy drinks. Fortunately, there are a few ways to do so.

Here are a few tips on how to handle an energy drink crash.

Starting with the most obvious, if it’s possible, get some rest. A power nap could be the difference when your energy levels are at their lowest.

Besides that, don’t forget to drink lots of water! With how busy things can get, it’s often easy to overlook the fact that your body needs water to stay energized.

Just remember that being well-hydrated itself actually a great way to ensure that you have plenty of energy.

Also, it’s a good idea to spread out your caffeine intake fairly evenly throughout the day. Remember, a little (here and there) goes a long way.

Are there side effects after drinking energy drinks?

Yes, there are possible side effects after drinking energy drinks which include:

  • jitters
  • anxiousness
  • relentless
  • nervousness
  • increase in heart rate
  • headaches

As these side effects are primarily caused by caffeine, you might experience more side effects if you’re less tolerant of caffeine.

Even if you don’t feel any short-term side effects after drinking energy drinks, in the long run, energy drinks could cause weight gain, dehydration, caffeine addiction, and overdose.

Definitely seek medical help immediately if you start to experience any of these possible side effects.

Which energy drink is the most effective?

I personally find energy drinks with less than 100 mg of caffeine and zero sugar to work the best for me. It enables me to concentrate well on my task for hours without any crashes. Win-win!

Though you might find energy drinks with a higher caffeine amount to be more effective, others might find the highly caffeinated ones to be unsettling due to the unpleasant side effects.

So ultimately, there are no right or wrongs here and it really depends on your preference. 

What are the strongest energy drinks?

In a nutshell, the “strength” of energy drinks depends on their caffeine content. As a general guide, energy drinks with 300mg or more caffeine fall within the strong energy drinks category.

These include Spike Hardcore Energy Drink, Bang, Reign, and Celsius Heat Energy Drink among others.

A strong dose of caffeine could really help you get through the day, but be sure to brace for a potential caffeine crash afterwards. 

Which energy drink has the least caffeine?

Although not completely caffeine-free, some energy drinks containing the lowest amounts of caffeine would be 5-Hour Energy decaf (6mg of caffeine), and FRS Healthy Energy (17mg of caffeine). 

Unfortunately, energy drinks with lesser caffeine might make up for reduced caffeine with more sugar to boost your energy. Even with no impending caffeine crash, you might be facing a sugar crash instead.

If you want a sugar-free energy drink with sensibly-low caffeine content, I would recommend REIZE Energy Drink. Containing 50mg of caffeine, that’s a suitable amount that will energize you nicely, without the dreaded crash! 

What are the symptoms of a caffeine crash?

Here’s what you’ll be feeling if you’re experiencing a caffeine crash:

  • fatigue
  • difficulty in focusing
  • irritable
  • sleepiness

These symptoms can be attributed to the side effects of caffeine because previously, caffeine inhibited the flow of adenosine in our brain, which causes adenosine to build up.

Once the caffeine levels have depleted, adenosine returns for “vengeance”, which is why you may sometimes experience a cruel caffeine crash.

Symptoms of a Sugar Crash

A girl facce.
Sugar may cause a sudden drop in your energy levels.

The occurrence of a sugar crash is often characterized by a sudden drop in your energy levels. The symptoms are pretty similar to a caffeine crash, with fatigue and irritability being quite common.

Besides that, other symptoms unique to a sugar crash include hunger, headaches, and distractibility.

To balance out a sugar crash, don’t go for more sugar, instead, try getting some protein into your system.

How long do energy drinks last in your system?

The effects of energy drinks begin almost immediately after consumption and peak around 45 minutes later.

Caffeine has a half-life of about 5 hours, so if you’ve consumed an energy drink with a higher dose of caffeine, expect the drink to be around your system for quite some time.

It’s generally accepted that energy drinks and caffeine will stop affecting you within around 5-8 hours after consumption and all traces will have exited your body within about 24 hours.

Can Red Bull Energy Drink cause you to crash?

Although Red Bull Energy Drink only contains  80mg of caffeine, it has a high sugar content – 27g, which can possibly lead you to experience a sugar crash after consumption.   

It’s better to opt for energy drinks with little or no sugar, so I would recommend that you go for Red Bull Total Zero instead if you have your heart set on sticking with Red Bull. 

Does Monster Energy make you crash?

Containing a high amount of caffeine and sugar – 160mg of caffeine and 54g of sugar, it’s almost inevitable for you to experience a crash after consuming Monster Energy Drink.

With such a high amount of caffeine and sugar, you should expect a harsh crash coming your way in the hours that follow downing a can.

Do you crash after 5 Hour Energy?

5-Hour Energy Shot is essentially a concentrated caffeinated concoction that aims to deliver you an energy boost that can last for 5 hours.

No prizes for coming up with a creative name, but I guess it does a good job of explaining what it seeks to do.

Sure, you can probably stay awake for 5 hours considering the staggering amount of caffeine it contains – 200mg for a 2 fl. oz bottle. But that’s a crazy amount of caffeine to squeeze into such a tiny bottle of liquid. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I want to put myself through the impending caffeine crash after drinking one.

Is it OK to drink energy drinks daily?

Energy drink lovers, rejoice! It’s okay to drink energy drinks on a daily basis so long as you choose ones with a moderate amount of caffeine and sugar.

In fact, if you consume caffeine daily, you’ll likely build up a tolerance and you might not get any crashes in the future, which is great.

However, this is also dangerous as you could potentially increase your caffeine intake without realizing, to a dangerous amount, due to the immunity you’ve built up.

Always stay under the FDA’s maximum recommended daily caffeine intake of 400mg, no matter how much you think you can tolerate.

How to gain energy naturally?

If you aren’t a huge fan of energy drinks, you might not want to depend on caffeine or energy drinks on a daily basis, which is totally fine too. So here are some ways you can gain energy naturally.

A hot cup of green tea works really well. Green tea contains a very small amount of caffeine, which could be just enough for what you need without all the side effects and impending crashes of having a whole lot of caffeine all at once.

Besides that, another alternative would just be to go nuts ( not literally)! Almonds contain good nutrients that can increase your energy levels, and sometimes, a lack of nutrients can be the cause of your fatigue.

Lastly, try exercising. Yes, exercising may initially result in you becoming more tired, but exercise promotes better blood flow which can actually increase your energy levels in the future.

Regular exercise is like investing in all of your future life experiences and can help you feel much more energized too.

Maybe a morning jog is just what you need instead of a cup of coffee or an energy drink?

Best Energy Drinks Without the Crash

In no particular order, I present to you some great energy drinks that aren’t likely to cause you much of a crash…

Energy DrinkCaffeine (mg)Pros
Bing Energy Drink120berry-based flavours
XS Energy Drink80variety of options
REIZE Energy Drink50great value, ships to your door
Here’s a summary of some of the best energy drinks without the crash.

Bing Energy Drink

A 12 fl. oz can of Bing Energy Drink contains 9g of sugar and 120mg of caffeine. This is roughly equivalent to the caffeine content that you might get in 1.25 coffees, which isn’t a crazy amount by any measure.

Besides its moderate caffeine content, the nice flavour of Bing is another one of its appeals. You might want to try Bing out especially if you’re a fan of berry-based flavours!

Not having much sugar is another plus.

XS energy drinks are OK in moderation.
Costing $3 – $4 per can, is XS Energy Drink worth it?

XS Energy Drink

This dainty 8.4 fl. oz can of XS Energy Drink has a good amount of caffeine with only 80mg and zero sugar to boot.

There are also 2 caffeine-free options among 18 other flavors, so you won’t ever run out of choices with XS Energy Drink. 

The caffeine-free options could possibly be a good choice of energy drink if you don’t want to suffer from a crash afterwards.

However, the only “crash” you might be getting from this is its price point, where XS usually costs about $3 – $4 per can. That’s pretty pricey!

REIZE Energy Drink (Highly Recommended)

REIZE Energy Drink is very convenient.
REIZE is delicious and won’t make you crash.

I personally love REIZE Energy Drink, not just because it contains a smart 50mg of caffeine, an ideal amount, but also because it’s sugar-free!

With REIZE, I can vouch that you’ll be well-energized after drinking it without needing to worry about any sugar or caffeine crash creeping up on you.

A great blend of taurine, ginseng, and B vitamins works together with caffeine to give you the perfect energy boost, with no crash afterwards. 

I guess what excites me the most would be the fact that REIZE ships right to your door for only around $1 per drink.

That’s amazing value for money.

Try REIZE today and I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s the smartest option if you’re looking for an energy drink without the crash.

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