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In certain situations in life people get tired and still need to do a job, in teens it is most times related to harsh schooling. Caffeine has good effects for helping people stay awake throughout a day when tired, but there are some consequences and in teens it can be worse, even dangerous. In this article I will talk about the physical and mental effects of caffeine in teens.
How Does Caffeine Affect Teens Physically?
In teens, caffeine can be a temporary boost of energy for whatever they need in small doses. However, in larger doses it can have dangerous effects such as raised blood pressure, raised heart rate, raised breathing rate, and increased nervous system activity. It can also affect mood, causing them to get more nervous, anxious, and irritable. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the healthy amount of caffeine (if it is to be consumed) is no more than 100 milligrams in one day. This amount is recommended for ages ranging from 12 to 18 (with caution).
It is shown that teens are more sensitive to caffeine than adults. In teens caffeine can also negatively impact brain growth and development, cause upset stomach, and cause dehydration. Caffeine can negatively impact school performance due to its negative effect on memory and cognition causing it to be harder to learn things from school. Caffeine can also increase jitteriness and make people develop tremors, a condition where the body is constantly trembling caused by a mix of the energy boost and anxiety. Gastrointestinal problems also develop from the excess consumption of caffeine and can cause long term gastrointestinal diseases.
How Does Caffeine Affect Teens Mentally?
Caffeine can cause mental issues in high doses. Caffeine can disrupt the sleep of those who drink it causing many mental problems with mental development (if consumed at younger ages) and cause people to grow dependent on it. On top of caffeine having side effects of nervousness and anxiety, the lack of sleep can also add on to that, causing an increased risk of mental illnesses and other psychiatric health problems.
In excessive consumption, there is a state called caffeinism, where the symptoms are restlessness, increased agitation, increased excitement, many cases of rambling speech and thoughts, and insomnia. Too much consumption of caffeine at a young age can have impacts on the future life of the person including how they learn new things, emotional health, mental health, social health, and many other things. Caffeine is a very addicting substance that with too much unchecked use can cause someone to grow completely dependent on it, only increasing the damage that it can cause. The increased use of caffeine also increases the amount of sugar that is consumed which can increase the chances of weight gain related disorders that can alter personality and the rest of a teens life.
Written by: Ariya
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