Caffeine and Teens
Here is an interesting article about calories, caffeine and kids. According to this article, more kids are getting turned on to caffeine at an earlier age. Of course for a lot of kids, that caffeine is accompanied by lots of sugar. Sweet coffee drinks like Starbucks Frappuccinos have a lot of calories and a fair amount of caffeine. Soft drinks like Mountain Dew and energy drinks like Red Bull are other sources of caffeine and sugar commonly consumed by teenagers.
Is it really a big deal? Well, caffeine probably doesn't cause any harm in small to even moderate amounts, but it is addictive and consuming caffeine late in the day can mean a sleepless night for many teens - not a good idea during the school year. Large amounts of caffeine can also make a person jittery and may even provoke anxiety-like symptoms in some caffeine-sensitive people.
Wondering how much caffeine is in the cup of coffee or bottle of soda your kid is drinking? A cup of coffee has about 100 milligrams of caffeine, a can of Diet Coke has just under 46 milligrams and a can of Mountain Dew has about 54 milligrams. Caffeine is also found in chocolates and tea.
A little caffeine is not going to cause a problem for most teenagers, but if yours is struggling to get to sleep at night, check out what he or she is drinking, and switch them to caffeine-free.
More About Caffeine
- What is a Safe Amount of Caffeine?
- Caffeine, Stress and Your Health: Is Caffeine Your Friend or Your Foe?
Comments
When I was in high school, I drank coffee once or twice a day just to keep me going through the 6 hours of school, 3 hours of homework, and still attempting to keep a social life.
Teens pretty much have it rough. An 8 hour work day is easier than what some of them have to go through.
I drink 4 sometime time 5 extra lge coffee triple triple 3sugars 3 creams i can still sleep but i am starting to worry about all the fat in the sugar and cream.
Barb – you should get your heart checked out for murmers and stress. That is an unhealthy amount of caffeine, not to mention that the sugar and cream doesn’t do any good. Try slowly decreasing the amount of coffee, and maybe integrating tea or other sources of energy that have less caffein per mg.