Red Bull is amazing. I will openly admit that I was addicted to it up until very recently. It's a quick hit of caffeine and I had the sugarfree one so it's fine right?! RIGHT?! I didn't want to stain my teeth with coffee, FFS.
There'll be many of you reading this (some of you possibly with an energy drink in your hand) who've been tagged by your mates as an attempt to get you to stop. Well, you can do it. Just quit for a few days. Get someone to lock you in your room if that helps. Because once you stop drinking them, you'll never want one again. Okay, maybe the occasional jagerbomb but no-one can judge when it's alcoholic.
Personalise (an online gift company) has put together some data that shows the effects that Red Bull has on your body. And it's quite the eye-opener.
After 10 minutes
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Once you consume an energy drink, it takes around 10 minutes for the caffeine to enter your bloodstream. Your heart rate and blood pressure start to rise.
After 14-45 minutes
The time your caffeine level peaks in your bloodstream. You'll feel more alert as the stimulant starts to affect you, improving not only concentration but also how alert you are.
After 30-50 minutes
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All the caffeine is fully absorbed, your liver also responds by absorbing more sugar into the bloodstream.
After one hour
Your body starts to experience a sugar crash as well as the effects of the caffeine dying down, you'll start to feel tired and energy levels will start to feel low.
After 5-6 hours
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This is the half life of caffeine, meaning it takes five to six hours for your body to reduce the content of caffeine in your bloodstream by 50 percent. Women on birth control tablets require double the length for their body to reduce it.
After 12 hours
The time it takes most people to fully remove caffeine from their bloodstream. The speed at which this happens does depend on many factors from age to activity.
After 12-24 hours
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As caffeine is a drug, those who regularly drink items with it can feel withdrawal symptoms 12-24 hours after the last dose, these often include headaches, irritability and constipation.
After 7-12 days
Studies have shown this to be the time frame for your body to become tolerant to your regular caffeine dosage. Meaning you'll get used to it and so won't feel the effects as much.
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The infographic then goes into details about the good and bad points regarding energy drinks.
BAD
"Often high in sugar and calories, there are other ingredients which can have bad effects on you, these include caffeine, a stimulant drug, which can cause anxiety, stomach upsets, dehydration and increased heart rate.
"In America, admissions to emergency departments which were energy drink related doubled from 2007-2014, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Dawn Report."
GOOD
"Although high in caffeine, energy drinks like Red Bull are well within the guideline maximum 400 milligrams with a typical 250ml can containing 80 milligrams.
"Energy drink companies often compare their drinks to coffee with many options at coffee shops being higher in caffeine, such as Starbucks' Venti Caffe Americano which contains 300 mg of caffeine."
So there you have it. It's not all bad! But what I've taken away from this is that after a while, your body gets used to the extra caffeine and you actually don't feel any more awake. The best thing to do is have one very occasionally. If you're addicted, you may as well pack it in because it's just wasting money at this point.
Featured image credit: PA Images/Red Bull
Featured Image Credit:Topics: energy drink