Imagine it’s 2:56 a.m. Claire, a junior in high school, is hunched over her desk. Her room is lit by nothing except for the harsh glow of her Chromebook screen. Surrounding Claire is a scattered flurry of packets, textbooks, crumpled notes and various pens, all competing for space around her desk. Claire had been up for the past eight hours working on endless amounts of homework: reading for AP Language and Composition, a presentation for civics, a math worksheet for pre-calculus, and she has yet to start studying for her biology test which is in a few hours. 

She slowly begins to rest her eyes while slumping over her biology textbook. Two minutes later, she jolts up from the sound of metal cans rolling off of her desk. Claire glances at the stack of assignments yet to be completed, and as the pressure of completing the assignments slowly builds up, she begins to feel the heavy weight of sleep creeping behind her eyelids. Quickly, she lunges for a cherry-flavored Bubblr, hoping that it will wake her up. This would be her sixth energy drink of the night. 

This scenario could apply to many high school students. In fact, the concept of using caffeine to stay awake is a popular phenomenon among high school students. Many students have said they rely on caffeinated drinks, whether its carbonated energy drinks or bitter coffee, to fight fatigue and complete copious amounts of homework. According to a school survey with 104 respondents, 89% of students consume some form of caffeine at least once a week. 

However, what is caffeine, and how is caffeine incorporated into different types of drinks?

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant drug that impacts the central nervous system. While caffeine is most commonly sourced from coffee beans, caffeine can be found in other plants such as tea leaves and cacao beans. Currently, caffeine is recognized as the most utilized psychoactive stimulant in the world. 

Caffeine can be found in many different drinks, one being coffee. The same survey from earlier revealed that more than 56% of the school’s students drink coffee. A common place for students to purchase coffee is at the Devil’s Roast at school.

“[Coffee bars] are a new trend,” said Kristen Kasprzak, food administrator. “Students think that caffeinated drinks are a burst of energy.”

Caffeine can be found in other forms as well, such as synthetic caffeine. According to BevSource, synthetic caffeine is a man-made form of caffeine produced in labs. It is produced when urea, a chemical compound, is combined with different chemicals such as ethyl acetate and methyl chloride. Synthetic caffeine is a much more concentrated form of caffeine and is absorbed by the body much faster than natural caffeine. 

Synthetic caffeine can be found in products such as energy drinks and soda, which are sold in the cafeteria and various vending machines throughout the school. One popular energy drink, Bubblrs, is a common product sold in various vending machines throughout the school that is enjoyed by at least 40% of survey respondents.

“I like the taste [of Bubblrs] and it’s nice to have a morning drink to keep you going,” said Judy Atassi, junior. “I think Bubblrs are really popular because they are super convenient. I can find them just anywhere in the grocery store or in our vending machines so students can get them on the way to class.”

But how do energy drinks really affect the body’s energy level?

“Caffeine does not actually provide you with energy,” said Peter Pintz, AP Biology teacher. “What caffeine does is delay sleep. In your brain, you have these receptors called adenosine receptors. When you get tired at night, more levels of adenosine build up and more receptors for adenosine are getting bound.”

Caffeine molecules have a similar shape to adenosine molecules. When caffeine enters the body they stick to adenosine receptors instead, preventing adenosine molecules from sticking to the receptors. This causes the cascade which leads to sleep to be interrupted, delaying sleep. 

So, while caffeine doesn’t scientifically provide people with energy, many students said they feel that it does. For many students, caffeine serves as a way to stay awake for longer periods of time. 

“I drink [energy drinks] because it helps me stay awake during school as my sleep schedule isn’t the best,” said Ayana Engle, senior. 

Other students use caffeine’s ability to delay sleep in order to stay up late during the night to complete homework. 

“I drink different types of caffeinated drinks like coffee or energy drinks, depending on my mood, to stay awake during the night in order to finish my homework,” said Claire Gilliam, senior. 

In addition to helping students stay awake, many students drink caffeine to have the energy to socialize.

“I love to go to cafes with my friends to hang out and study and drink coffee,” said Sarah Delapena, senior. “Sometimes when I feel like my social battery is low I’ll drink caffeine, like an iced coffee with friends.”

However, the widespread consumption of caffeine does lead to some concerns.

“Caffeine, as far as I know, is one of the only non-regulated neuroactive substances in the United States,” Pintz said. “This means that everything else, like alcohol or THC, is regulated. You can drink [alcohol and THC] after a certain age, but there’s nothing like that for caffeine.”

The lack of regulation on caffeine makes it easy for students to access caffeine. In some cases, this can lead to students developing a variety of health problems. 

When caffeine enters the body, it affects the nervous system by causing it to release adrenaline, a hormone that the body releases when one feels stressed or scared. This can lead to various side effects, such as anxiety or jitteriness. Another side effect of this release of adrenaline is a higher heart rate.

“Caffeine is a stimulant drug, and it increases your heart rate,” said Lisa Tazelaar, health teacher. “The biggest thing people don’t realize is how much caffeine they’re ingesting into their bodies when they drink a coffee in the morning and a Bubblr in the afternoon. If you’re not expending energy and ridding the body of the caffeine, it’s just sitting there and continuing to activate the heart.”

According to UC Davis Health, in some cases, caffeine consumption can lead to health problems. Sometimes, caffeine consumption can lead to heart palpitations or other issues such as atrial fibrillation.

Ironically, while many students consume caffeine to delay sleep, caffeine consumption can sometimes lead to difficulties in sleeping. When consumed in large amounts, caffeine may disrupt your natural sleep cycle, making it difficult to get deep sleep, which can actually lead to feeling more tired the next day.

“Caffeine had a reverse effect [on my sleep schedule] where instead of staying awake, I ended up sleeping, and it messed up my sleep schedule and I had to take medication to fall asleep,” Delapena said. 

Because of the potential health effects that caffeine can impose on the body, especially for young teenagers, students should be more cautious about how much caffeine they are consuming. 

“I used to think that energy drinks were the answer to getting homework done,” Gilliam said. “But after I started experiencing migraines and stomach issues due to the energy drinks, I realized that caffeine wasn’t the solution and that prioritizing my health would help me get homework done better.”

Ultimately, being informed about the effects of caffeine can help students be able to make better choices in the future for their health, not only ensuring that they stay awake but also be able to deal with the demands of school.