Energy drinks are a great source of energy and are consumed by millions of people daily.
Energy drinks give you an immediate boost of energy, improve your concentration and focus, increase your endurance and cognitive performance, and keep you alert. So, whether you are a working person needing to go through your day without feeling tired or a student pulling an all-nighter to study for exams, energy drinks just work fine for you.
But, the question is how much time and energy drink will take to kick in?
So, in short, after drinking an energy drink, caffeine enters your bloodstream 10 minutes after consumption. Upon absorption into your bloodstream, the effects will be felt immediately after 20 to 45 minutes.
Want to learn more about this in-depth? Then, keep reading this article as I have reviewed how energy drinks work in your body, its mechanism, and how long it takes an energy drink to affect in detail.
But, first, let’s find out whether energy drinks work or not.
Do Energy Drinks work?
Yes, energy drinks do work as they contain caffeine.
Caffeine is the key ingredient of an energy drink, and without this, you will notice that energy drinks are pretty useless as it is a natural energy-boosting agent.
Caffeine affects sleep by inhibiting the activity of the adenosine receptors in the brain.
In response to this situation, the brain releases an adrenaline response, triggering the fight-or-flight response. Furthermore, caffeine also stimulates the brain to release dopamine, a chemical responsible for the experience of bliss. Thus, you don’t feel exhausted anymore.
Moreover, caffeine also keeps you energized throughout the day, improves your physical and cognitive performance, and increases your endurance power.
Apart from this, energy drinks also contain taurine, guarana, and sugar, which are also good energy sources. Also, many essential minerals, electrolytes, vitamins, amino acids, and nootropics can be found in energy drinks that boost your energy levels and keep you hydrated throughout the day.
So, overall, energy drinks do work and are an excellent source of energy. Therefore, you can consume them if you want to boost your energy levels.
How quickly do Energy Drinks work?
It can take up to 30 to 60 minutes for energy drinks to work.
The energy drinks start working after 10 minutes of their consumption, but you will only notice their effects on your body after 30 minutes. Furthermore, the peak energy boost occurs between 30 to 60 minutes after its consumption.
How long do Energy Drinks lasts in your system?
Energy drinks contain caffeine, one of the main ingredients that boost your energy. Caffeine stays in your system for about 10-12 hours before it is completely cleared from your system.
In energy drinks, there are many ingredients such as sugar, B vitamins, herbal extracts, and amino acids. Still, caffeine is the main ingredient that gives you an extra boost of energy.
Caffeine has a half-life of about five hours. That means that you will metabolize half as much caffeine after about five hours.
Brands vary in their caffeine content, but it can range anywhere from 50mg to 300mg. Energy drinks contain different amounts of caffeine, meaning that the caffeine remains in your system for varying periods.
There are factors. However, that may impact how long caffeine remains in your system. These factors include:
- Age
- Body height/weight/fat
- Genetics
- Food Intake
- Caffeine Tolerance
Side effects of Energy Drinks
Energy drinks have many side effects that are due to the caffeine and sugar present in them.
Energy drinks contain caffeine in their formula as it is a good source of energy. However, excessive consumption of caffeine can lead to various side effects. These side effects are:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Headache
- Heart problems
- Insomnia
- Dehydration
Therefore, to avoid these side effects, the FDA has recommended that no more than 400mg of caffeine be consumed per day.
Furthermore, another ingredient that can be found in an energy drink is sugar. Sugar helps us in providing a temporary energy boost as well as adding taste to the drink.
However, the excessive use of sugar can also lead to various side effects. These side effects are as follows:
- Tooth decay
- Diabetes
- Weight gain
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Sugar crashes
- Jitters
- Headaches
Therefore, just like caffeine, it is better to consume sugar in moderate amounts. And, for that, the AHA has recommended that you consume only 26g to 36g of sugar daily.
So, overall excessive use of energy drinks can lead to these side effects because caffeine and sugar can impact your health negatively.
However, there are many energy drinks on the market low in caffeine or sugar content, so that you can opt for that. Also, if you want to avoid sugar in general, you can select sugar-free energy drink powders for yourself.
Does Water help alleviate the effects of Caffeine?
Yes, drinking water can help you in alleviating the effects of caffeine.
Since you know that excessive caffeine consumption can cause various side effects, and dehydration is one of them, sometimes making caffeine symptoms worse.
Therefore, it is imperative to keep yourself hydrated as water can help you alleviate the effects of caffeine and that too in a short period.
Furthermore, caffeine is a diuretic product that is frequently flushed out of the body through urination. Therefore, if you get dehydrated, you can suffer from dizziness, headaches, muscle cramps, rapid heartbeat, irritability, etc.
Therefore, you need to stay hydrated throughout the day so that these side effects can subside. Try drinking at least eight glasses of water on a regular basis.
However, there are other ways through which you can reduce the side effects caused by caffeine.
These are:
- Eat food rich in fibre
- Do some exercise
- Practice deep breathing
Want to know more about how you can overcome the effects of caffeine? Then, check this video out.
Is an occasional Energy Drink bad?
No, an occasional energy drink for a temporary boost of energy is not sour for your health at all.
Drinking energy drinks occasionally is not bad for your health; however, try to stay within the daily caffeine and sugar limit. Moreover, energy drinks are beneficial for your health if you consume them in moderate amounts.
Whether you want a pre-workout energy boost, improve your mental and physical performance, or keep yourself charged up during long hours of work, energy drinks are perfect for you.
Furthermore, you can also drink energy drinks if you are on a diet or lose some weight. But, remember to try to take a balanced diet and practice a healthy lifestyle if you are a regular energy drink consumer. This will decrease the possibility of adverse health issues.
So, overall, energy drinks are not bad for you; however, since moderation is the key to everything, try to limit your energy drink consumption.
When should you drink Energy Drinks?
Drinking energy drinks is a good idea whenever you need a boost of energy.
Energy drinks are delicious if you need a boost of energy. However, it would be best if you drank them in moderation. Since energy drinks start affecting you after 30 to 60 minutes of consumption, you can drink them half an hour before you need a boost.
Furthermore, try to time the half-life of caffeine as it needs at least 6 hours to get flushed out of your body.
Also, try not to take energy drinks a few hours before sleeping as it can disrupt your sleeping pattern and cause insomnia.
However, it would be best if you kept an eye on your consumption. Drink an energy drink at least 30 to 45 minutes before you begin working to feel its full effects
Why should you drink Energy Drinks?
Energy drinks are good energy-boosting supplements.
Energy drinks are a good source of energy as it keeps you charged up throughout the day.
Furthermore, energy drinks also improve your focus, increase your endurance, make you alert and keep you awake for long hours.
So, whether you are pulling an all-nighter to complete your pending work, want to study so that you can ace the test, want to play video games or overall want a boost of energy to keep yourself going through the day, then energy drinks are perfect for you.
However, like everything, excessive consumption can harm your health. Therefore, it is better to consume them in moderation.
How long after drinking an Energy Drink crash happens?
You can expect a sugar crash within a few hours after consuming energy drinks.
There are many energy drinks available on the market that contain sugar in excessive amounts. And, even though sugar is a good source of energy, it is temporary and can cause a sugar crash if you consume it in excessive amounts.
A sugar crash can make you feel jittery and cause severe headaches, and this crash can occur within 1 to 2 hours after consuming an energy drink.
However, many energy drink brands on the market have introduced sugar-free energy drinks. So, if you want to opt for an energy drink to keep you charged up, I suggest that you go for sugar-free energy drinks. This way, you can avoid the dreaded sugar crash.
Furthermore, since these energy drinks are free from sugar, you also will be safe from the other adverse side effects.
Energy Drink Recommendations
There are many energy drinks available in the market. However, only a few of them are pretty effective and can be trusted.
Here I have made a list of some of the best energy drink powders that you can consume without worrying about side effects:
- Advocare spark
- ZipFizz
- Celsius On-The-Go
- Mixt energy
- GG by Gamer Supps
- Ghost Gamer
- Arbonne Fizz energy
- Rouge energy
- Sneak energy
So, now that you know which energy drinks are good for you, you can select any of the above energy drink powders. These powders are pretty effective and are a good source of energy.
Conclusion
Energy drinks are good for boosting your energy levels as they have caffeine in them. Also, they help make your mind sharper, keep you focused, improve your concentration and increase your cognitive performance.
So, you can consume these energy drinks. These energy drinks start kicking in after 30 to 60 minutes of their consumption. However, since they have caffeine in them, excessive use can cause adverse effects.
Therefore, to reduce the effects of caffeine, you must stay hydrated and consume fluids like water.
Furthermore, if you feel that you have consumed caffeine too much and start feeling sick, try taking deep breaths, taking a run, and keeping yourself hydrated. This way, you can restore your energy.