The Nevada Sagebrush

Photo illustration by Becca Ewart/Nevada Sagebrush

The effects of energy drinks:

-The primary active ingredient in most energy drinks is caffeine.
– Studies show that energy drinks are most effective when used to help remember something already learned.
– Drinking too much caffeine, or an amount that the body isn’t used to, can cause caffeine intoxication.
– Caffeine intoxication most commonly occurs after consuming more than 250 milligrams of caffeine. Symptoms include restlessness, nervous excitement, insomnia, muscle twitching, scattered thoughts and increased heart rate, which are all counterproductive when studying.
– The United States Food and Drug Administration does not require companies to put labels on energy drinks or caffeine supplements, that tell the amount of caffeine in each dose. This can cause students to consume much more caffeine than they realize.

While energy drink sales tend to increase at the University of Nevada, Reno during final exams, many students may not be using them to their full potential, recent researfh from the Brazilian Journal of Meidcal and Biological Research suggests.

About 51 percent of college students consume at least one energy drink per month, according to a survey conducted by The Nutritional Journal. Of those students, 67 percent said they consumed them for insufficient sleep, in order to help them study. Their efforts, however, may be wasted according to the Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research.

A 2002 study tested the difference in the memory of rats and mice that were injected with caffeine. Through memory-testing mazes and obstacles, researchers found that caffeine did not help concentration or attention spans when taken before studying. Researchers said this supports that drinking energy drinks before studying is ineffective. But caffeine could help with recalling something already learned, which means that students are likely to perform better if they consume an energy drink before an exam, according to the research.

“This is a really new idea that I don’t think people who have energy drinks know,” Jake Carey, an 18-year-old English major, said.

While energy drinks provide the necessary caffeine to stay awake all night, the study proves that caffeine does not improve mental acuity or one’s ability to focus. Many students admit that they drink energy drinks before or during their study sessions, despite previously bad experiences.

After forgetting he had an English exam the next day, Carey drank three energy drinks while staying up all night and studying for his test.

“The teacher told us we had five minutes to study for the exam so I put my head down,” Carey said. “I ended up passing out on my desk and didn’t wake up until there was only 15 minutes left. I did as much as I could, but I still failed the exam and wasn’t allowed to make it up.”

Although Carey said the energy drinks were partly to blame, he still admits to consuming them while studying.

“I try not to drink as many,” he said. “But when I really need to stay up, I’ll drink them.”

Drinking too much caffeine can also cause caffeine intoxication. Symptoms of intoxication include restlessness, scattered thoughts, nervous excitement and insomnia, which are counterproductive when studying, Chad J. Reissig, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University, said. Caffeine intoxication is most likely when the consumer has more than 250 milligrams of caffeine in one sitting, Reissig said.

Because the United States Food and Drug Administration does not require companies to put labels on energy drinks, students may not know how much caffeine they are consuming.

“There is a variability in caffeine content,” Reissig said. “Some have 40 to 50 milligrams and some have over 500. The consumer has no idea what their intake is.”

Students consume more energy drinks during December and May, when most exams are given, than any other time of year, according to the Pack Pit Stop and Residential Life, Housing and Food Services. The number of energy drinks rose from 170 sold in September to 203 in October, when most midterms were taken. The number of energy drinks sold so far this month is already showing an increase, according to reports.

“Over the last week we have sold a ton more energy drinks than we usually do,” Chris Turnbull, the DC Store manager, said. “Normally students buy one but during finals there are a lot of students buying three or four at a time.”

The Pack Pit Stop sells 13 different energy drinks, including various brands of Amp, Sobe and No Fear. Mountain Dew’s Amp, which is the most popular energy drink sold on campus, averages sales of 172 cans a month.

Tara Verderosa can be reached at tverderosa@nevadasagebrush.com.

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