If you’re looking for a headstart in an activity, an energy drink with caffeine can be a great option.
This is because caffeine is good for your physical and mental performance. That’s why some brands are even dedicated to enhancing cognitive performance and improving reaction time.
In general, caffeinated beverages can be good for a variety of lifestyles. Whether you’re a gamer, a student, or an athlete, energy drinks have something to offer.
While caffeine is the primary energizer, too much can negatively impact your health. This is why it’s recommended that healthy adults limit their daily intake to 400mg a day only.
Despite this suggestion, some brands are loaded with so much caffeine and are aimed as pre-workout drinks for those who do intense exercise regimens. One of the strongest energy drinks out there is Spike, which contains 350mg of caffeine!
For the sake of your wellbeing, it’s best to keep it minimal when it comes to energy drinks. But if you’re curious about which brands come with the highest caffeine content, I’ve compiled a list to help you out!
Let’s get started.
Is Caffeine Bad for You?
Caffeine can only be bad if you excessively consume it.
It’s primarily a naturally-occurring stimulant that can be found in plants like guarana and coffee beans. It helps improve your mood and allows you to be alert.
According to studies, caffeine is beneficial for muscle strength and power. This study also states that older people seem to be more susceptible to empowering effects of caffeine than young ones.
In fact, it’s proven good because it’s used as an ingredient in many prescriptions for treating tiredness and drowsiness. But that only works with a specific dosage. That means there is only a suggested level you must take to get its good health benefits.
How Does Caffeine Work on Your Body?
Caffeine can make you feel focused and refreshed. As it gets into your system, it increases the circulation of some chemicals such as cortisol, dopamine, and adrenaline.
Cortisol is a stress hormone that enhances your brain’s use of glucose because it can increase your sugar in the bloodstream. In addition, it can also help repair your damaged tissues.
In comparison, adrenaline can elevate your blood pressure and heart rate. This scenario calls for your whole body to increase energy supplies.
Dopamine is a chemical that controls motivation, movement, and feelings. Because caffeine can influence your dopamine levels, you feel more awake and ready to keep going.
However, caffeine can also be a cause that triggers the release of acid in the stomach. This could also make you feel you have heartburn or indigestion after consuming caffeine.
How Much Caffeine is Actually Good For You?
All of us have different levels of caffeine tolerance. What could be a strong energy drink for me may not be the same for you. That’s because our body size and physiological makeup have something to do with it.
But even though the feeling or effect is different for everyone, there’s a safe level all of us must follow. As per the FDA, we should take a maximum of 400mg of caffeine daily. Excessively consuming caffeine can lead to the following health issues:
- Fever
- Headaches
- Palpitations
- Nervousness
- Anxiety
- High Blood Pressure
My advice is to choose an energy drink with a lower caffeine amount. This way you’re less likely to experience any side effects, especially if you plan to take other caffeinated products for the same day.
How Many Hours Does Caffeine Last?
It can last in your body for up to 10 hours.
Basically, after taking caffeine, you would feel the effects after 30 to 60 minutes. For most people, the amount of caffeine that’s already in your bloodstream would reach its peak an hour later.
According to this article, even after five hours, half of the caffeine you’ve taken would still be in your body. And it would disappear after 10 hours.
If you feel like you can’t stop consuming caffeinated products, you may have developed caffeine dependency. This isn’t that bad compared to a dependence on drugs though.
Anyway, you can counter this by lowering your caffeine dosage from time to time. Therefore, instead of choosing an energy drink with lots of caffeine, you can switch to the ones with a lower amount.
Who Should Avoid Caffeine?
While caffeine has many benefits, it’s actually not for everyone. Kids and pregnant moms should be the first to avoid caffeinated products like energy drinks.
Kids are only allowed to take 100mg of caffeine. There are indeed energy drinks that have a low amount of caffeine. However, it’s still not recommended for kids because it contains other ingredients that are not suitable for them.
In comparison, pregnant moms cannot take high levels of caffeine because it might put the child’s life in harm. It might lead to other complications, so it would be best to avoid it.
Aside from these two, you should also avoid caffeine in the following cases:
- If you have ulcers
- If you have GERD
- Have migraines or chronic headaches
- Have high blood pressure.
- Have anxiety
- Have a fast or irregular heartbeat
If you’re also taking other stimulants or you’re under medication, talk to your doctor about whether it’s safe for you to take energy drinks.
Energy Drinks with Most Caffeine
Here, I have suggestions for energy drinks with high to low caffeine content.
Spike Hardcore
First on the list is Spike Hardcore. It has no sugar and uses only 10-15 calories but has high caffeine content. For me, this is a red flag energy drink because it has 350mg of caffeine, which means it only leaves you a 50mg caffeine allowance per day.
Although it says not to exceed two cans daily on its label, I actually think two cans is way too much. Don’t try this energy drink if you’re not used to consuming high caffeine amounts regularly.
Redline Xtreme
The next one would be Redline Xtreme Energy which has 316mg caffeine. Just like Spike Hardcore, I think you can choose this if you want a pre-workout beverage.
Aside from the caffeine, it’s also packed with electrolytes, calcium, and Vitamin C that are suitable for the health of your skin and immune system.
Bucked Up
Bucked Up energy has 300mg of caffeine. But aside from that, it has Theacrine and Dynamine. According to a study, if mixed with caffeine, the said elements can increase energy, focus, and fast reaction time.
This beverage also has Vitamin B6 and B12 and taurine.
Reign
Reign energy has 300mg of caffeine and it was made by the same company that created Monster energy. It’s a famous workout drink because of its Coenzyme Q-10 and B Vitamins.
Moreover, it doesn’t use any sugar, that’s why many individuals with intense workouts and a strict diet choose Reign. However, just like Bucked Up, this amount of caffeine might make you feel dizzy and unmotivated if you’re not used to it.
Alani Nu
Alani Nu energy drink has 200mg of caffeine. While energy drinks can be used as a pre-workout beverage, Alani Nu offers a pre-workout version of Alani Nu.
Aside from caffeine, it has Vitamin B, Biotin, and electrolytes. Therefore, if you sweat a lot and care more about your hair health, you can try Alani Nu. It also contains zero sugar and has only a few calories.
Rowdy
Rowdy energy drinks have only moderate caffeine at 160mg from green tea. In addition, it has 18g of sugar and 90 calories and electrolytes, vitamin B and C.
Furthermore, its sugar is also from a natural source: cane sugar. But aside from that, it uses erythritol, which is the healthiest sugar alcohol, and stevia and monk fruit extract as sweeteners.
Hi-Ball
Hi-Ball energy uses no calories and sugar. Aside from that, it’s filled with 160mg of organic caffeine and antioxidants that could match your fitness level.
Aside from being a workout buddy, it’s also a keto-friendly beverage. You can use this one if you’re following a strict diet.
Glitch Energy
Glitch powdered energy drink has only 150mg of caffeine. It’s made for primarily produced for gamers. It has only five calories, and it uses no sugar at all.
You’ll get enough energy from Glitch because it has various Vitamin B, C, D, and E. It also uses Dynamine, which increases the caffeine’s half-life. I’m not really fond of this, even though it can make you alert for an extended period.
Nevertheless, I think it would be just okay because Glitch’s caffeine content is not that high.
Nerd
Nerd energy drink has only 128mg of caffeine. It’s comparable to a one and a half cup of your usual coffee, and it’s nowhere near the alarming level.
However, this shouldn’t make you go for another round, especially if it’s your first time trying Nerd. Just enjoy its other nutritional ingredients such as nootropics, Ginkgo Biloba, and other amino acids for your first try.
Fit Aid
Fit Aid is packed with BCAAs, Vitamins C, D & E, CoQ10, Omega-3s, and 45mg caffeine. I suggest you take Fit Aid after your workout to use its electrolytes content fully. Besides, it also has turmeric that can speed up your recovery time.
The only downside I see with Fit Aid is the shallow caffeine content. I’m not fond of high caffeine content beverages, but I like it if my energy drink has around 50-100mg of caffeine.
REIZE
REIZE is my choice because it has a reasonable 50mg of caffeine. It comes in a 4g powdered sachet for flexibility. Its caffeine content is enough to help you have a productive day.
Plus, it’s also powered by B vitamins, taurine, and ginseng that can make your body healthy. Although you can consume more than one mix of REIZE in a day, you still have to monitor your caffeine intake to avoid the side effects.
Moreover, it doesn’t contain any sugar and uses only a few calories. You can get each serving for just around $1 and you can even have your orders shipped to your door!
Try REIZE now and experience a natural increase in your energy!
Other Notable Brands
| Energy Drinks | Caffeine Amount |
| Celsius | 300mg |
| G Fuel in cans | 300mg |
| NOS | 260mg |
| 5-Hour | 200mg |
| Rockstar | 160mg |
Conclusion
There are many good energy drinks to get the energy boost you desire. If low caffeine energy drinks don’t give you the boost you need, you may need to switch to the one with higher caffeine.
Just make sure you drink only one serving of it. Aside from that, refrain also from consuming other caffeinated beverages on those days.
Besides, it’s not only the caffeine in an energy drink that could give you energy. It contains B Vitamins, taurine, and creatine to upgrade your physical performance while caring for your health.
I highly suggest you go with energy drinks with lower caffeine amounts to face health issues from high caffeine amounts in the future. Energy drinks like REIZE could help you ditch your coffee routine as you can drink two-three servings per day, and it’ll be safe for you.