Everyone seems to have their own solution for when that alarm clock starts ringing and we are simply not awake. Some might go on an afternoon jog while others will brew themselves a quick cup of tea, but there is one student method that cannot go unnoticed: energy drinks. 

Energy drinks really are liquid energy, condensed into a can for consumption. But do these drinks really make those midday slumps bearable and preventable?

Popping up in TikTok advertisements and in the hands of many influencers, energy drinks are all over the place in our digital world. A big staple of the energy drink campaign is their convenience. Anyone with a convenience store or gas station near them can run in and grab a can full of energy. Freshman, Brooke Lambert, said she used to drink one every day, just because they were easy to get and tasted good. 

Freshman Andrew McCleskey explained his energy drink experience, saying, “If I have a huge assignment to do, I’ll crack open a few to help me finish it.” 

Unlike those that save these sugary confections for energy emergencies, other students have a more constant use for these drinks. Olivia Campmany, a freshman here at the U, said that she commonly has one in the morning with a bagel as a sugary substitute for coffee. Whenever she walked into a deli for breakfast she would pick one up as her beverage of choice. 

Unlike a normal pick-me-up drink like coffee and tea, energy drinks require no effort to make, can be stored in your fridge for mornings and can easily be picked up from a store.

Now while these drinks are easy to grab and gulp down, there are some possible medical drawbacks to consuming these drinks. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a 16 ounce can of this fuel can contain more than the maximum amount of sugar you should be consuming in an entire day. The center also said that this amount of caffeine can cause heart and blood vessel problems. 

So when you go to your nearest convenience store looking for something to get you through the grueling day ahead, you might just decide to grab an energy drink. What you choose to use as your day-to-day fuel is up to you, but now you know a little more about this go-to student choice. 

words and design_salvatore puma.