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Revive Your Spirits: Top Cold-Relief Energy Drinks

Revive Your Spirits: Top Cold-Relief Energy Drinks

We all know how frustrating it is to catch a cold, especially when you’re on a tight schedule but hey, why not try grabbing an energy drink to beat those sick days off?

Of course, I understand if you think that drinking energy drinks while you’re sick seems a bit over the top, but what if I told you that there are energy drinks that can benefit you, especially when you’re sick.

In this article, not only will I be recommending you the best energy drinks for a cold but, I’ll also answer your concerns about how energy drinks can affect you during a cold, so read on.

Energy Drinks Ingredients

Energy drinks contain caffeine, sugar as well as other beneficial ingredients like B-Vitamins. This smart blend can help boost your energy levels, enhance physical performance and cognitive functions.

Read on to know more about each main ingredients in energy drinks:

Caffeine

A picture of a mug filled with coffee beans
Caffeine is the key ingredient of energy drinks

Caffeine in energy drinks is the key ingredient responsible for that energy boost you love, and generally, energy drinks can contain up to 50mg to 300mg of caffeine in a single can.

As different brands have different caffeine content, you may find that some energy drinks have a much higher caffeine content than others.

The caffeine in energy drinks offers you plenty of benefits other than keeping you energized, as long as you limit your intake.

To keep your caffeine limit at a healthy rate, you must know how well your body responds to caffeine as caffeine metabolism differs among each person.

For example, a small dose of caffeine may be effective for you if you have a relatively low caffeine tolerance and vice versa.

That said, the energy you get from energy drinks can help to lessen the tiredness and grogginess when you’re sick and can’t afford to stay in bed all day.

Keep in mind that it’s best to consume no more than 400mg of caffeine in a day, as recommended by the FDA. Otherwise, you may experience some negative side effects, such as:

  • Restlessness and shakiness
  • Insomnia
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Abnormal heart rhythm
  • Dehydration
  • Anxiety
  • Dependency

Also, you may want to avoid having caffeinated beverages when it’s near your bedtime, as the caffeine can disrupt your sleeping schedule.

Sugar

Sugar is commonly used in energy drinks to give you that additional surge of energy. Although, some energy drinks contain a huge amount of it.

Thankfully, there are also plenty of sugar-free options out there, which are probably healthier options.

However, all that sugar isn’t good for you when you’re sick as it might prevent the immune system from getting rid of the bacteria, and this also includes all the effects of sugar itself.

Regardless of whether you’re sick or healthy, it’s always a good idea to control your sugar limit as much as possible.

For guidance, here’s what the American Heart Association recommends for the daily sugar limit:

GenderRecommended daily sugar limit
Female No more than 25g
MaleNo more than 37.5g
The daily sugar limit as recommended by the American Heart Association

Other Ingredients

It takes more than just caffeine and sugar to make an energy drink—other ingredients including taurine, guarana, and B-vitamins.

If the amount of caffeine present in an energy drink concerns you, you may also want to look out for guarana in the ingredient list as it adds to the caffeine content of the energy drink.

If you plan on having an energy drink when you’re sick, I strongly advise you to double-check its ingredient list to understand what you’re consuming. You can also consult a doctor if you’re unsure how it’ll affect your health.

What Are The Symptoms Of A Common Cold?

While it’s normal to confuse a common cold with the flu, flu symptoms are more severe than cold symptoms.

The common cold also rarely causes any additional health issues, unlike the flu. The list below is a simple guide on how you can detect whether you’re having a cold or not:

  • Blocked or runny nose
  • Sore throat
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Body aches

That said, if you do experience the symptoms above, you should pay a visit to the doctor for a more accurate diagnosis as well as treatment.

If you want to know how a common cold develops, check out the video below:

Is Caffeine Bad For A Cold?

Consuming caffeine isn’t necessarily bad for your cold if you limit your intake and still keep yourself hydrated with water.

There’s no denying that catching a cold when you have a full schedule ahead can be demotivating, but caffeine can help you power through the day.

Consuming caffeinated energy drinks can enhance your overall mental performance by increasing brain function and concentration.

While caffeine can help you get all your daily tasks done, it’s also a good idea to get enough rest and sleep to help quicken your recovery stage.

There may have been claims about caffeine causing dehydration, but they may not actually be true.

Caffeine may not be suitable for everyone, but if you discover that it isn’t helping you, you can always cut down or stop drinking it altogether until your body adjusts.

Do Energy Drinks Help With Colds?

Although energy drinks can’t completely treat your cold, they can help give you a boost of energy, especially when you’re too busy to catch a cold.

A study involving participants with colds had their alertness and performance improved when they consumed caffeine.

Thus, consuming energy drinks while you’re down with a cold can be beneficial for you.

Does Caffeine Affect Medication Absorption?

A picture of a pill
It’s important to take your medications as prescribed by your doctor

Caffeine contains Tannins which is a type of chemical that can reduce the effectiveness of your medicine.

If you plan on consuming caffeine, it’s best to wait 1-2 hours before and after taking your medicine.

Caffeine can stimulate both the brain and heart, so when taken with common cold medicine like Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), it can increase side effects such as jitteriness, headaches, and a rise in heart rate.

That said, combining caffeine and other stimulant medications can also speed up your nervous system, causing the risk of high blood pressure.

All in all, you should always take your medicines with plain water instead of caffeinated beverages and consult a doctor if you’re still unsure about having caffeine while on medication.

Is It OK To Mix Energy Drinks And Cold Medicine?

Just like caffeine, you should also avoid mixing energy drinks with cold medicine.

While it may give you a sense of euphoria, it’s really dangerous and can potentially be lethal so I strongly advise against it. It’s almost as harmful as mixing alcohol with energy drinks.

You can still consume energy drinks hours before or after your medication as long as you have the doctor’s approval.

Can Energy Drinks Help Keep Me Hydrated During A Cold?

No, energy drinks don’t contain hydrating properties, so you should always hydrate with plenty of water instead.

Although there are energy drinks that contain electrolytes, which replenish hydration, I wouldn’t recommend depending solely on them when you’re sick.

When having a cold, it’s important to keep your body hydrated by drinking good ol’ plain water.

Other Beverages For When You’re Down With A Cold

  • Water
  • Hot herbal tea
  • Orange Juice

Water

Water is important in our everyday lives, and it helps keep your body functioning properly.

When you’re sick, it’s easy to get dehydrated as your body loses more fluids than normal. Thus, drinking plenty of water can speed up your recovery.

You can also add in lemon into your water for that extra boost of vitamin C.

Hot Herbal Tea

A picture of black tea with herbs surrounding the mug
Are you a tea person?

Hot tea can help soothe sore throats, coughing, fatigue, and chest congestion. The herbs in the tea can also help boost your immune system.

A quick tip I have is to add in a little honey for a good night’s sleep.

Orange Juice

Not to be confused with the concentrated ones, but fresh orange juice is famous for increasing your immune system due to its richness in vitamin c and folic acid.

Best Energy Drink For A Cold

Now that you know how energy drinks help with a cold, here are a few good choices for you.

  • Advocare Spark
  • Monster Ultra Zero
  • XS Energy
  • REIZE (highly recommend)

Advocare Spark Energy Drink

A picture of Advocare Spark Energy Drink
7g sachet of Advocare Spark Energy Drink

Advocare Spark Energy Drink is a powdered energy drink that contains 120mg of caffeine per serving.

While it’s sugar-free, it comes with 15 calories which I personally don’t mind having.

To enjoy your energy drink, you’ll need to mix 1 sachet of Advocare Spark powder with 8 fl.oz of water.

Powdered energy drinks give you the leeway of controlling the portion based on your preference. Not to mention, they’re so convenient to carry around and mix whenever you need them.

Although powdered energy drinks are usually cheaper than the canned versions, Advocare Spark costs around $2.50, including shipping, which is quite a hefty amount.

If you’re set on powdered energy drinks, but want something cheaper than Advocare Spark, read on to find a better bargain.

Monster Zero Ultra

A picture of Monster Zero Ultra Energy Drink
The sugar-free version of Monster Energy

If you’re a fan of Monster Energy but want a slightly healthier option to go along with your cold, Monster Zero Ultra may be suitable for you.

Monster Zero Ultra contains zero sugar and calories, so you’ll save yourself from consuming all that unnecessary 54g of sugar and 190 calories that goes into the original Monster Energy.

It’s definitely a healthier option in terms of sugar, and you can still enjoy the familiar taste of Monster, so that’s a plus point.

The only downside is that it has a whopping 140mg of caffeine which might not be great, especially when you’re down with the cold.

But if you only drink Monster Energy, you might want to consider switching to the sugar-free version as it can benefit you more in the long run.

XS Energy Drink

A picture of XS Energy Drink
A single can of XS Energy is 8.4 fl.oz

Let’s take it down a notch in the caffeine department. XS Energy Drink is a sugar-free energy drink that contains 80mg of caffeine and only 10 calories.

I’d say it has pretty moderate contents which should be suitable to drink when you’re having a cold.

You can also opt for its caffeine free options:

  • Caffeine-free cranberry-grape blast
  • Caffeine-free mango pineapple guava

REIZE (10 out of 10)

A picture of REIZE Energy Drink
REIZE, the only energy drink you’ll need on your sick days

Still looking for an affordable powdered energy drink? I’ve got you covered.

REIZE Energy Drink is my go-to energy drink when I’m sick and need that extra boost of energy.

The reason I always choose REIZE on my sick days is that it comes in a convenient 4g sachet, which contains 50mg of caffeine, 11 calories, and no sugar.

Not only does it have a sensible amount of caffeine, but it’s also packed with a smart blend of beneficial ingredients like taurine, ginseng, and B-vitamins.

I find its ingredient content to be the perfect mix to give me the energy boost I need without having to worry about unnecessary side effects or a sugar crash after.

Also, did I mention that it’s super affordable? For around $1 per drink, you can get REIZE delivered to your door.

That’s amazing value for money.

So try REIZE today, and you might find that it’s also the best energy drink for you when you’ve got the cold.

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