Caffeinated beverages have become quite popular for their extra boost. That’s why you may want to choose between coffee or energy drinks to get extra energy.
There’s no problem with that. After all, coffee and energy drinks work fine in waking up all your body cells for work.
Coffee is ideal for taking during the mornings, and energy drinks are associated with exercise. However, there are cases in which you can use coffee during workouts too.
For background, there are energy drinks with the same caffeine amount of coffee. On the other hand, you may want to make a few cups of coffee to match the amount of an energy drink’s caffeine.
In this article, we’ll compare these two boosting beverages in a more detailed discussion.
Let’s get started.
What is Caffeine?
Caffeine can help you become alert and awake for hours. It is used as a stimulant that causes the energy boost right after taking coffee or energy drinks.
While it has this beneficial function, too much can cause caffeine crashes. Some of the caffeine crashes symptoms involves headache, jitters, and anxiousness.
How could you prevent this from happening? Well, as with other ingredients, too much can be bad for your health.
Regarding caffeine, the FDA recommended that you shouldn’t take more than 400mg of caffeine per day.
Do Energy Drinks Contain Too Much Caffeine Compared to Coffee?
It depends on the energy drink you want to compare your coffee with. But in general, coffee has 80-100mg of caffeine per cup.
Meanwhile, this article states that the caffeine in energy drinks ranges from 80-150mg. But as you may know, there are energy drinks with 200mg to 300mg of caffeine. This amount is only safe for people who aren’t sensitive to caffeine.
I’ve listed here some popular energy drinks brands and their caffeine amount.
| Brand | Red Bull | Monster | Celsius | Reign | Aspire |
| Caffeine Amount | 80mg | 160mg | 200mg | 300mg | 80mg |
Watch this video to know how energy drinks and coffee helps you be productive and elevate your tiredness.
Is Caffeine Safe for Everyone?
As coffee and energy drinks contain caffeine, there’s a chance of having caffeine toxicity, especially for adolescents. But that’s only if they consume caffeine regularly.
Moreover, caffeine isn’t safe for kids and pregnant alike. While kids can take up to 100mg of caffeine daily, I don’t think they need to take any stimulants. If they take some stimulants as a part of medication, that’s another reason not to take anymore.
When it comes to pregnant moms, studies state that consuming caffeine can make the baby inside their womb suffer from some health issues. There’s also a possibility of a premature infant birth weight.
Basically, caffeine isn’t safe for everyone. Only healthy adults are advised to take caffeine when necessary.
Sugar in Coffee and Energy Drinks
Aside from caffeine, most energy drinks and coffee contain sugar. Plus, if you love making your coffee, I suppose you add one to two tablespoons of sugar to it. Is that a good idea, though?
Well, one tablespoon of sugar is equal to 12.5 g. If you have diabetes, your limit is six teaspoons of sugar every day.
Some energy drinks have a bad reputation because of their high sugar content. For example, energy drinks such as Monster have 54g of sugar. This is way over the daily recommended amount.
According to this article, you should only allow 30g of sugar in your body every day. Consuming too much sugar can benefit your health, especially if you do this regularly.
Too much sugar can lead to harmful outcomes such as:
- Weight gain
- Increased risk of heart disease
- Acne
- Increased risk of type 2 diabetes
- Increased risk of cancer
When it comes to sugar content, coffee is at an advantage. If you’re the one who’s going to make one for yourself, you can adjust the sugar you’ll put on it. However, there are also energy drinks that use artificial sweeteners instead.
Is Coffee just as Bad as Energy Drinks?
No, besides, coffee isn’t bad in the first place. Coffee is tried and tested in providing concentration. In the same manner, this study suggests that energy drinks can improve your focus upon 10-60 minutes of consumption.
In contrast, according to this article, one can of energy drink already increases your blood pressure and stress hormones if it contains too much caffeine. Another article backed it up by saying not taking any caffeine can also be good for your blood pressure.
Is it OK to Drink a Serving of Energy Drink a Day?
Of course. According to this article, it’s even OK to drink two cans or a serving of an energy drink.
However, as I’ve mentioned, you should limit your caffeine intake to prevent suffering from the negative effects you can get out of it. Only take two servings of an energy drink if it doesn’t have high caffeine content.
If you want a list of the strongest energy drinks, feel free to check my list.
| Energy drinks | Caffeine Amount |
| Celsius | 300mg |
| G Fuel cans | 300mg |
| G Fuel Powder | 150mg |
| Razorwire | 150mg |
| Amp Energy | 142mg |
Is it Wrong to Drink Coffee and Energy Drink at the Same Time?
Yes, it may not be very good. You might drink energy drinks earlier and decide to drink coffee a little later. However, if you’re going to consume it simultaneously, that could be awkward.
According to this article, mixing coffee with an energy drink may not kill you. It may even help you finish your work faster. However, be reminded that caffeine is more like a powerful drug.
And overloading on caffeine leads to dependence and addiction. Besides, taking coffee alone already has some nasty side effects for some people, such as:
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Acid reflux
- Increase in blood sugar level
- Heartburn
This could happen, especially if your stomach is empty and you drink coffee. Meanwhile, if you happen to take it with an energy drink, here are other side effects you might get from it:
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Insomnia
Energy Drink Recommendations
In addition to the energy drinks I’ve stated earlier, here are other energy drinks with a caffeine content that has the same caffeine content as that of coffee.
Red Bull
Red Bull has only 80mg of coffee. I like the way that it’s packed with B Vitamins and taurine for additional support of energy and health benefits.
However, it has 26g of sugar that can make you vulnerable to sugar crashes if you’re sensitive to sugar. Therefore, drink only one can of Red Bull only if necessary.
Aspire
Just like Red Bull, Aspire has only 80mg of caffeine. But the thing I like about this energy drink is that it has no sugar and uses an artificial sweetener instead.
In addition, it has vitamins and amino acids that could give your body an additional surge of power. It also claims to be suitable for vegans!
However, while Aspire is suitable for your diet, I suggest not taking it every day. If you don’t have anything to do that in need of an extra energy boost, you can skip taking Aspire. This actually goes to the other energy drinks as well.
REIZE (Top Pick)
If you want an energy drink that’s enjoyable to drink like that coffee, REIZE could be a better choice. Plus, it has nutrients that you cannot find in a cup of coffee, such as B-Vitamins, inositol, and taurine.
I like the way that it’s sugar-free and has only 11 calories. This means that REIZE is the best choice to match your dietary needs. Moreover, it has only 50mg of caffeine!
You can enjoy up to three servings of it without feeling any jitters at all. Furthermore, it comes in flexible 4g sachets that you can take anywhere. It’s like having a coffee and an energy drink in one.
Just slip it in your pocket on the way to your gym or library! It can give you the focus you would need for studying.
You can get REIZE for only around $1 and you can even have your orders shipped to your door.
Other Notable Brands
Final Thoughts
Personally, I prefer energy drinks with low caffeine content. The first reason would be for an extra boost of energy. Second, I like energy drinks with 50-100mg of caffeine for safety purposes, and last, I can take up to two mixes and enjoy it as I do with drinking coffee.
Sometimes it’s not the drink that’s pretty addicting but the action of drinking itself. It’s like a break you take before going into something big again.
Besides, I think the caffeine in energy drinks can give you all-around energy compared with coffee. That’s maybe because many energy drinks use herbal supplements as a source of their caffeine, such as ginseng and guarana. But that’s just my opinion, and you might have a different experience.
I guess you would have to go with whichever works best for you. If the energy drink you choose has a lot of caffeine or sugar on it, then I think it’s safer to choose coffee.
Nevertheless, always watch your caffeine intake to prevent side effects.