Students love their caffeine, but there are risks

Student lifestyles, filled with academic pressure and lack of sleep, contribute to the popularity of energy drink consumption, according to the American specialist journal Bio Medical Central (BMC).

This also seems to be true for students at the North-West University’s Potchefstroom campus, according to the findings of an informal poll conducted by threestreamsmedia on social media.

To analyse the extent of student energy drink consumption, 24 students across all faculties took part in our poll. The students were asked whether they make use of energy supplements, and if so, which ones and how often. The poll included coffee and the energy drinks Monster, Powerade, Energade, Switch, Red Bull, Dragon, or none.

Most students who participated said that they preferred coffee over energy drinks, while 17% (seven students) preferred no caffeine.

Tshiamo Mekgwe (19), a resident of Wag ’n Bietjie women’s residence who is studying dietetics, said that students “need more of it [caffeine], as they become dependent on it and, literally addicted … They’ve developed this thing where they can’t live without caffeine.” Mekgwe says 80% of Wag ’n Bietjie’s residents enjoy their caffeine kick. Coffee, energy drinks, and Bioplus are constant companions to students in her residence.

According to BMC, caffeine consumption in the form of energy drinks can increase mental functioning by increasing alertness and energy levels.

Researchers at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in Pretoria conducted a similar survey about energy drinks last year. A total of 490 students were presented with questionnaires about their energy drink consumption. The results indicated that 58% of students consume energy drinks to stay awake and 31% to stay alert.

Student dependency on caffeine does not come without risk, however. Healthcare practitioner Dr Christien Pretorius of the NWU’s health centre, says energy drinks are harmful to your heart. “We strongly discourage students to use energy drinks to compensate for their tiredness. The problem should rather be dealt with,” she said.

NWU Law student Keitumetse Mainganya (21) said, “caffeine benefits are as strong as their after-effects, so I control my intake.”

Third year NWU student in psychology, Masego Qotso (21), explained that writing essays is a lot of work and requires concentration, which is the reason for her use of energy supplements, specifically Red Bull.

According to Medical News Today, ingesting caffeine in high doses (more than 400mg per day) can be harmful. According to Mayo Clinic, this roughly translates to the amount of caffeine in four cups of coffee, ten cans of cola, or two energy shots. It can cause adverse effects such as anxiety, agitation, restlessness, sleeping problems and tremors.

Despite the adverse effects, students still seem to think that the benefits of caffeine as an academic aid outweigh the cons. Refilwe Moorosi (22), a final-year pharmacy student at the NWU said: “My life depends on coffee, I am one of the statistics and I am okay with it. My course is very demanding, and I always need to work.”