Final exams week in college could not be more accurately stereotyped. The weeks upon weeks of procrastination finally have you trapped and stressed out. Students resort to frantic study sessions, note copying, and all nighters in the corner of the library for survival. Today, students have easy access to “study-aids” in the form of coffee, adderall, and energy drinks. While the first two are well utilized, there are some shades of gray with energy drinks.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ENERGY DRINKS
What’s the story with the energy drinks that over flow the shelves at your local gas stations? Do they help give you another extra edge to study, or do they just burn you out? The purpose of these questions is not to provide some scientific breakdown of the ingredients in energy drinks, or their effect on your health. Rather, it is a recommendation of how to properly use energy drinks to give you the studying advantage, not burn you out.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
The bottom line is that energy drinks, when consumed in moderation can be helpful for short term, major events, such as final exams. Why? Because energy drinks help stimulate and increase brain activity. Guarana and caffeine are the important stimulant ingredients. Temporary energy jolts can be quite useful for getting several solid hours of studying in. However, the “crash,” you incur when the drink wears off is simply unavoidable.
HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN IT’S THE RIGHT MOMENT?
Timing is everything. Your best bet is to drink a few energy drinks when you begin to crack open your books about three hours before the exam. This will allow you to accomplish several hours of productive studying and take the exam before your energy buzz wears out. After you rocked the exam you will finally be able to recharge the batteries and bring yourself back to neutral. As easy as it sounds you must be careful not to get the energy jolt too early, leaving you groggy come exam time. It is also a good idea to learn your energy drink tolerance before exams week. Too much may leave you with a headache and jitters.
HEALTH EFFECTS
The bad rap energy drinks often get is the result of habitual consumption for the purpose of mental and physical stimulation. A perpetuating cycle of energy drink dependence will interfere with your sleep schedule, create severe exhaustion, or lead to health problems. There are cases out there of energy drinks leading to heart palpitations and increased chance of heart disease. Like smoking, energy drinks are not the best long-term investment out there.
Energy drinks as a whole are not good for you, but there is a time and a place for everything…. it’s called college. Next time you realize at two in the morning you have an exam in six hours, crack open an energy drink to help get you through the night. Keep in mind you are not in the minority here. Gotta love college.
