Many college students take caffeine on a daily basis, but what they do not realize is how much caffeine they are really taking.
The effect and the consequence on a student’s wallet really adds up.
Sean Wallace, a student at Fresno City College, admits to being addicted to caffeine, consuming around 200 milligrams of caffeine daily and spending roughly $100 monthly on various caffeine sources.
“If I drink caffeine at noon and it’s 100 milligrams I would still have 50 milligrams of caffeine pumping through my body at 5 p.m. and the caffeine itself would never go away,” Wallace said.
While the caffeine can pose as a problem so is the cost to students wallet. At Walmart, one can of 16 ounces, monster energy zero sugar drink costs $2.48. Costs add up when students are buying two monsters a day. At this rate in two weeks students will spend $69.44 on average.
This money could be used by students for gas or other essentials.
A can of Monster alone has 163 milligrams of caffeine, if students drink two cans of Monster a day that’s 326 milligrams of caffeine. According to Food and Drug administration, up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day can be safe for most healthy adults.
“When I consume over 200 milligrams of caffeine it leads to physical symptoms like shaking,” Wallace said.
Steve Reynoso, another student at FCC, avoids caffeine. He believes caffeine is abused and students depend on it for energy. He estimates that students might spend up to $350 on caffeine a month.
“If I was to buy a coffee at Starbucks, I would spend $63 a week. That would be around $250 a month I spent on caffeine alone,” Reynoso said.
Caffeine can eventually lead to long term health issues. You can choose to substitute caffeine with herbal teas, yerba mate, or matcha as a healthier alternative. This can still give you the boost you need throughout the day with less side effects.
“Students should invest less in caffeine and invest more into essential needs,” Reynoso said.
FCC student Francisco Robledo said he did research on how small doses of caffeine can prolong your life. He said it can help keep your mind sharp.
“Caffeine can help students and hurt students depending on how much caffeine is consumed by students,” Robledo said.
“I believe students have abused caffeine, I have abused caffeine myself during test week,” Robledo said.
After talking to these students I feel like caffeine can hurt students more than it can help them.
