Grim reality of what happens to your body minute by minute after drinking energy drink

This is what happens to your body in the minutes, hours and even days after you consume a high caffeine energy drink.

Most of us are aware that energy drinks aren’t particularly good for our health, right?

Some of them cram in as much as 160-200mg of caffeine per 500ml - for context, your average cup of coffee has around 80mg and a can of cola contains about 30mg.

And if you’ve wondered what consuming so much caffeine in such a short space of time can do to your body, a handy infographic shared by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has the run-down.

The first 10 minutes

In the first few minutes after you’ve knocked back an energy drink, the caffeine will be making its way into your bloodstream, which will see an increase in your heart rate and blood pressure.

15 to 45 minutes

It's fully kicking in now - as this is the time when the caffeine levels will peak in your bloodstream.

You may feel more alert and have increased levels of concentration. This is the 'best bit', basically.

Getty Stock Image

30 to 50 minutes

The caffeine is now fully absorbed, which your liver responds to by absorbing more sugar into your bloodstream.

This can lead to a bit of a sugar high, which might give you a bit of boost alongside the caffeine.

1 hour

But what goes up, must come down and around about the one hour point you may begin to experience a sugar crash alongside the effects of the caffeine wearing off.

During this time, you may start to feel tired and your energy levels will drop.

5 to 6 hours

About five to six hours in, your body will have reduced the content of caffeine in your bloodstream by around half. But this can vary depending on numerous factors including your age.

Getty Stock Image

12 hours

And six hours on from that - 12 hours after you drank the energy drink - your body should have removed all the caffeine from your bloodstream. However, again, this can vary depending on biological factors.

12 to 24 hours

If you regularly drink caffeine, at this point you might start to experience some withdrawal symptoms - these can include headaches, increased irritability and constipation. Lovely.

7 to 12 days

Previous studies have shown that this time frame for your body to become tolerant to your regular caffeine dosage. In other words, the amount of time it takes for you to become used to the amount of caffeine you regularly intake, therefore lowering its impact on you.

Topics: Food And Drink, Health

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]