FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Water, lower-sugar beverages, and better daily habits are among the alternatives students can turn to instead of energy drinks, according to a Sanford Health registered dietitian.<\/p>\n
Sophia Gapp says students who struggle to stay energized throughout the school day should look beyond caffeine and consider their sleep, eating habits and what they drink.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe promote a lot of either zero sugar options, water, sugar-substitute options, or just low sugar options as well,\u201d Gapp said.<\/p>\n
Gapp says students who want something with flavor can also consider options such as lower-sugar juice drinks or adding a flavoring product to their water.<\/p>\n
But she cautions that parents should check nutrition labels, since some beverages marketed as healthy can still contain significant amounts of sugar and calories.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of our drinks out there have a lot of high sugar content as well,\u201d Gapp said. \u201cSo your regular sodas, some of your juice drinks, some of those drinks marketed as healthy might have a lot of sugar or calorie content in them; students might be drinking a lot of their calories throughout the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sleep and eating habits matter<\/p>\n
Gapp says students who feel tired during the school day may need to make changes beyond what they drink.<\/p>\n
She recommends looking at whether students are getting enough sleep, eating breakfast, and having regular meals and snacks throughout the day.<\/p>\n
For teenagers, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine<\/a> recommends eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. Children ages 6 to 12 should get nine to 12 hours.<\/p>\n Gapp says relying on caffeine can create other problems, including disrupted sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cI think sleep disruption is a big piece of caffeine consumption,\u201d Gapp said.<\/p>\n She also says excessive caffeine consumption can contribute to anxiety, heart palpitations, and other health concerns.<\/p>\n Energy drinks and social media<\/p>\n Gapp says young people may be influenced to try energy drinks not only for the caffeine, but also because of the products they see promoted online.<\/p>\n \u201cKids shouldn\u2019t be consuming energy drinks,\u201d Gapp said. \u201cI know there\u2019s just a lot of marketing towards kids, or they see their favorite influencers on Instagram carrying around an energy drink, and I think that really contributes to part of the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says energy drinks can contain high levels of caffeine and other stimulants<\/a>. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that young kids avoid energy drinks completely.<\/p>\n