If you’re looking for the best energy drinks that can improve your physical and mental performance, you’re on the right page. I suppose you’re a well-active individual or an athlete who wants to push the limits.
Energy drinks can help you with any type of sports or activity, whether swimming, biking, jogging, or even studying. Therefore, you can say that these are great performance-boosting beverages.
If you’re one of these, you’ll need to know what to look for in energy drinks. So I’ve compiled a list of my top recommendations that are guaranteed to improve your performance!
Let’s start.
What Drinks Give You The Most Energy?
Aside from energy drinks, let me share with you other beverages that you can also use for your performance. Since energy drinks are not healthy and don’t need to be approved by the FDA, here are some options you should try:
- Water
- Coffee
- Green Tea
- Yerba Mate
- Fruit Shakes
- Vegetable Shakes
Do Energy Drinks Boost Performance?
Yes, there’s no doubt about it because energy drinks’ main component is a potent stimulant that is also present in coffee, yerba mate, and green tea. Don’t you know that even a tiny dose of caffeine can improve physical performance and cognition?
Moreover, this study has proven that beverages induced with caffeine can increase speed during sports. Aside from that, energy drinks are also known to help you with weight loss and improve long-term memory.
Another study in 2012 proved that Red Bull can help you significantly enhance your upper body muscle. For your information, Red Bull has 80mg of caffeine.
There are also other studies that claim energy drinks can improve your cognitive performance and help you stay focused till the finish line.
When Should You Drink Energy Drinks?
It’s best to drink energy drinks before your workouts.
Aside from a proper meal, timing is important too. According to this article, energy drinks start working around 30 minutes after consuming them. If you drink it now and jog right after, you won’t feel any boosting effects.
Therefore, instead of jumping straight from another energy drink because your “current one” didn’t work, why not make this a practice instead? Moreover, it would be best if you don’t consume energy drinks after an exercise.
However, this article claims that energy drinks with caffeine are beneficial before or after an exercise. This isn’t a good idea, except if an energy drink has a replenishing property.
Ingredients That Are Good for Performers
Let’s look at some of the contents that make energy drinks reliable during performances. Here’s a quick table for you:
| Ingredients | Functions |
| Taurine | This amino sulfonic acid has a good effect on your brain and heart. Aside from that, it can also lower your blood pressure and calm your nervous system. |
| L-Citrulline | This non-essential amino acid can improve your blood flow by boosting nitric oxide production. |
| Tyrosine | It’s an amino acid that helps your body produce proteins. |
| L-Theanine | This is an amino acid too. It can improve mental alertness and boost the immune system like taurine. |
| Gingko Biloba | It improves blood flow in small vessels. |
| Vitamin E | This vitamin is suitable for your sight, skin, and brain. |
| Vitamin B | These vitamins directly impact your energy levels, brain function, and cell metabolism. This is probably the reason why a lot of energy drinks include this vitamin. |
| Vitamin C | This vitamin will help protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. |
| Ginseng | Ginseng can boost energy and regulate blood sugar. |
| Guarana | Guarana has a good effect on your central nervous system, heart, and muscles. |
Aside from the said elements, it would help to look for electrolytes in an energy drink. Regardless it comes in the form of magnesium, sodium, or potassium. Electrolytes are beneficial in keeping your body fluids in balance.
In this way, you won’t feel dehydrated after your event. As I’ve mentioned, you can also take energy drinks with electrolytes after your workout. Because it can help your muscles recover.
Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Energy Drink
There are two elements present in most energy drinks. And that’s caffeine and sugar. Here are some problems you’ll have with it if you happen to take more than what’s recommended:
Caffeine Content
While caffeine is indeed beneficial if you’re looking for a lift, there’s only a limit to how much you can take. As per the FDA, you can take up to 400mg of caffeine every day.
Going above that dosage can result in caffeine overdose. Some of its symptoms are as follows:
- Dizziness
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Abnormal heart rate
- Dehydration
- Headaches
- Restlessness and shakiness
- Stomach problems
I suggest you follow the recommendation seriously, especially if you’re not drinking caffeinated products regularly.
Sugar Content
If caffeine can motivate you to keep going, you can get energy from sugar. Most energy drinks use natural sugar, while others use artificial sweeteners.
Sugar intake is only safe at 30mg per day. If you take more than this amount, it can lead to sugar crashes. And that can affect your performance negatively because instead of feeling energized, you’ll feel tired and sleepy.
On the other hand, I see no problem with artificial sweeteners because they’re FDA-approved. According to this article, artificial sweeteners have no calories, making them suitable for your diet.
Just be careful, though. Despite being safe, you cannot let yourself excessively consume any products with artificial sweeteners.
According to this study, this can result in obesity or even diabetes. There’s also a high chance of tooth decay.
Best Energy Drinks for Performance
Aside from Red Bull, which has been used in many studies to prove energy drinks’ usability, there are other energy drinks. I’ll discuss some of those energy drinks including my favorite one in the next sections.
G Fuel Energy
G Fuel powder is packed with 150mg of caffeine and zero sugar. It uses sucralose to keep its taste sweet. It’s also packed with taurine, l-tyrosine, and vitamins B3, B6, and B12.
If you’re more of a person that prefers to drink after a workout, this could work for you. Just make sure to take only one serving per day to avoid caffeine overdose.
In addition, there’s also a canned version of G Fuel that you can try if you’re not into mixing powders.
C4 Energy
C4 energy drink is a well-known pre-workout energy drink because it’s available in four versions. Each version has a different caffeine amount. Some have 120mg, while the original has 300mg of caffeine.
It gives you the freedom to base your choice on how much energy you need. I suggest you go with the lowest dose of caffeine. After all, they all contain lots of B vitamins and amino acids that can help you perform better physically.
Rockstar
You can also get a Rockstar energy drink containing 160mg of caffeine, and 24g of sugar. This energy drink is packed with guarana, ginseng, and B Vitamins!
There’s no doubt that a single can of Rockstar will give you the big boost you’re looking for. However, while 160mg of caffeine is still a moderate amount, it’s a bit higher than what I normally consider.
For your safety, keep track of how many Rockstar you already had, and make sure not to mix it with other caffeinated products. Otherwise, it may lead to an adverse reaction, which won’t be suitable for your performance.
If you like mixing energy drinks, I think you should try the powdered ones instead.
REIZE (The Best)
Speaking of powder, it reminded me of my favorite beverage that you can easily mix anywhere. REIZE comes in a 4g sachet with only 50mg of caffeine. If you like to drink a lot, I think you’ll have no problem mixing a second serving with its low amount of caffeine.
I prefer energy drinks with only 50-100mg of caffeine. But more than that, what I adore about REIZE is its B vitamins, taurine, and ginseng that can boost my performance.
REIZE is also sugar-free and has only 11 calories, ensuring that no matter what your diet or lifestyle is, REIZE is a perfect match for you.
You can get REIZE for only around $1 and you can even have your orders shipped straight to your door. That’s amazing value for your money.
Other Notable Mentions:
The Bottom Line
Generally, all energy drinks can help you boost your body performance. However, it all depends on your sensitivity and your body’s reaction.
That said, you might not feel the boosting effects in the case of some energy drinks. On the other hand, a few ones might feel too much for you.
Energy drinks are only for individuals who practice an active lifestyle. Yet, despite the many advantages they offer, you shouldn’t replace your meals with them.
Also, only take an energy drink with the nutrients and the caffeine your body needs.
On a final note, I suggest you start first with an energy drink that’s low on caffeine. And just decide after if you want to switch to another one or not!
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