Are Energy Drinks Helping You or Hurting Your Sports Performance?
Energy drinks have come to replace coffee for some people particularly gym goers, dieters, beginning fasters, and sports enthusiasts. These these get-up-and-go, ergogenic beverages can be a great help when you feel less than inspired to get out of bed early in the morning and off to the gym or out the door on a run. They can be especially useful when you are first attempting to develop a positive a.m. ritual or hoping to re-start a healthier habit.
So what's in these energy drinks that makes it possible for us to climb out from under our warm snuggle blankets and lace up our tennis shoes instead of getting another hour's worth of shut eye or skip a once-important meal or snack.
There's some common ingredients found in virtually all energy drinks. The catalyst that acts as an impetus to open our sleepy eyes and awakens our zombie-like bodies is a chemical stimulant that brings about physical, mental, and sometimes even metabolic excitations. The central nervous stimulant (CNS) can be pharmaceutical caffeine or or a naturally occurring, plant-based pick-me-up like green tea extract, kola nut, Yerba mate, ginseng, guarana, or bitter orange (plant-source ephedra known as synephrine).
Excitatory substances such as the ones I just mentioned can increase mental capacity and concentration, improve athletic performance, boost mood, elevate heart rate, raise blood pressure, and bring about physical fidgetiness which can be considered desirable to someone who's momentarily tired, experiencing brain fog and cognitive sluggishness, or wants a metabolic kick start.
CNS stimulants can also reduce hunger or even eliminate appetite in some individuals which CAN make them useful to someone who is trying to decrease total caloric intake, reduce mealtime portion sizes, hoping to extend the time between food consumption, or is a newby at dietary fasting.
In addition to one or more excitatory stimulants, most energy drinks lure the tired but health-conscious consumer with the added benefit of B vitamins, quickly absorbable simple sugars, and amino acids. Some manufacturers even distract those potential consumers concerned about caffeine with health-promoting anti-oxidants and electrolytes.
When consuming or thinking of utilizing one of the hundreds of energy boosting refreshments on the market today, please remember that caffeine-like stimulants can cause diuretic effects which can lead to dehydration which can negatively impact athletic performance. Drinking a beverage that has a high carbohydrate content before or during exercise or sports performance can bring about GI distress. Carbonated energy drinks consumed pre-workout or post-workout can cause gastric dumping or emptying of stomach content which can hinder macronutrient breakdown and absorption and thereby possibly limiting proper muscle rebuilding and regeneration. Excessive caffeine or stimulant consumption can also disrupt normal sleep times and patterns, cause insomnia, or reduce and/or prevent R.E.M. sleep which can have minor or major effects on athletic recovery.
For those who collegiately or professionally compete in sports, caffeine is also considered by some sports-governing groups as an unfair ergogenic aid if found in large or excessive concentrations in the urine so consuming high amounts of caffeine can get an athlete disqualified from competition.
Thank you for reading my blog. It is my hope that my professional experience and expertise can help those that are outside my physical reach.
Bell Gia
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/193114?
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/caffeine-and-sleep
https://drugs.com/caffeine
