With busy days and long nights, most students rely on coffee and energy drinks in order to power through classes and get their work done. However, excessive intake of caffeine might be more harmful than helpful. A healthier, more natural alternative is tea, which provides calm energy without the common side effects of anxiety and restlessness.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), caffeine is a chemical stimulant that “is most commonly sourced from coffee beans,” and “it can also naturally occur in certain types of tea and cacao beans and as an additive to soda and energy drinks.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is comparable to two or three 12-fluid-ounce cups of coffee, two energy drinks or around eight cups of black tea, the tea with the highest caffeine levels.
The NIH lists the benefits of caffeine as improved memory and focus, boosted energy levels, lessened fatigue, increased alertness, elevated mood and more. For several students at Fordham, their daily caffeine fix is a “life source,” and they need it to make it through the day.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is comparable to two or three 12-fluid-ounce cups of coffee, two energy drinks or around eight cups of black tea, the tea with the highest caffeine levels.
Between endlessly studying for his classes at Fordham, working his off-campus internship and spending time with friends, Ethan Ashmore, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’27, rarely has time to relax and take a break. This is where his daily Monster Energy drink comes in.
“It helps me stay alert, so I’m not like a zombie in my classes,” Ashmore said. “It lessens fatigue, but it’s more so the taste and ritual of ‘here’s my morning Monster, now I can continue my day.’”
While the energy drink has perks and ingrained itself into Ashmore’s daily ritual, he said that the drink also causes adverse side effects. Ashmore listed occasional anxiety, withdrawal symptoms like extra fatigue and a “struggle to fall asleep,” especially if he has a second drink later in the day.
Many companies sell their energy drinks as dietary supplements. This means they can avoid FDA regulations and the listed supplemental facts may not be entirely accurate. For example, additives like guarana, which is a stimulant much stronger than caffeine, and herbal supplements may be inside the drink but not listed on the packaging. These supplements can cause adverse effects similar to those caused by caffeine.
According to the American Medical Association (AMA), negative effects of caffeine intake can include anxiety, headaches, restlessness, insomnia, heartburn and withdrawal symptoms. Consistent high intakes can even lead to high blood pressure, arrhythmias, psychosis and seizures. Some people cannot drink coffee or energy drinks without experiencing these mental and physical consequences.
Catherine Preston, FCLC ’27, is unable to drink high amounts of caffeine due to her struggles with chronic illnesses, as they heighten the negative effects.
“The amount of caffeine that coffee contains is way too much,” said Preston, adding that if she drinks it, she becomes “sick and can’t function for the rest of the day.”
Now, her go-to drink for an energy boost is tea, which has a low enough caffeine content that she gains improved focus without the harmful effects of coffee and energy drinks. After water, tea is the most consumed drink in the world. There is a wide variety of teas, four of the most used being green, oolong, white, and black, which is the most popular worldwide.
According to UCLA Health, teas differ from coffee due to how they are processed, and black tea contains more benefits than other teas because its leaves undergo an intense oxidation process. Most of tea’s benefits are due to polyphenols, which are “antioxidants that offer protection from several chronic diseases.”
Now, her go-to drink for an energy boost is tea, which has a low enough caffeine content that she gains improved focus without the harmful effects of coffee and energy drinks.
Black tea is unique due to special polyphenols called theaflavins, which develop during oxidation. Black tea’s unique polyphenols promote heart health, reduce the risk of stroke, lower blood sugar levels and lessen the risk of death from all causes.
The most relevant benefit of black tea for students, however, is enhanced focus. The combination of caffeine and the amino acid L-theanine allows black tea to help increase alertness and focus. Adding L-theanine takes the jittery energy produced by caffeine and brings it down to a calmer, more stable form of energy.
While tea can have similar consequences as coffee and energy drinks, they appear in much larger amounts of consumption than in the latter, as tea has less than half the amount of caffeine. Thus, with black tea, you get the boosted power found in regular caffeine, but you consume it in a much safer way.
Making the switch to tea will provide you with that life-saving burst of energy to make it through classes and work, and grant you a new, more balanced focus and long-term health benefits.