An alarm clock blares, waking you up from the temporary bliss of sleep. After many nights up late working, doing homework, playing sports and battling anxiety, getting out of bed and facing the world feels like a monumental task.

   Eventually rolling out of bed, you leave your house. On the way to school, you stop by the gas station to pick up your morning energy drink. You hear the familiar pop of the can opening and down the drink knowing that soon you just might have the alertness and motivation to get through another day.

   This story should sound all too familiar to many high school students, not just here, but around the entire world. Early school start times combined with endless to-do lists leaves students with barely enough time to relax, let alone to get some well needed rest.

   Within this constant sleep deficit, it is common for students to turn to the stimulant caffeine in order to get an extra energy boost. As someone who has spent many nights on end working late and waking up early the next morning to do it all again, I rely on caffeine most days to make it through. While in the short term caffeine can be a helpful tool to get through an all-nighter or a hard workout, constant overconsumption can have negative effects.

   According to the Food and Drug Administration, Common side effects of caffeine include increased heart rate, anxiety, headache, and insomnia. On many occasions, I’ve had negative reactions to rapid caffeine consumption including itching and hypersensitivity. 

   These health effects wouldn’t be as severe if caffeine wasn’t an addictive substance. People will experience withdrawal from caffeine if they are used to having it every day. Symptoms of withdrawal include headache, fatigue, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. This means that a day without caffeine will be worse than if you had never started the habit in the first place, making it harder to go without the substance.

   Lastly, consuming caffeine daily can be a costly habit. Most energy drinks cost around three dollars, and over the course of a two week pay period, it can really add up. I probably spend around 50 dollars on caffeine each pay period making it one of my major expenses. 

   According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 83 percent of adolescents consume caffeinated beverages regularly. This isn’t only in the form of energy drinks. Other culprits include coffee, soda, and tea. Regardless of its source, It’s important to regulate the  consumption of caffeine. For students that consume energy drinks on a daily basis, switching to a more mild form of caffeine such as coffee or tea can be beneficial to your health, and your wallet. The helpful boost that caffeine provides can become a detrimental addiction in excess.