Many students rely on significant amounts of caffeine to help them function throughout the school day, not always realizing the health effects that coincide with consumption.

Whether it’s to jumpstart the day or for the taste, caffeine consumption has increased. Instead of getting energy from sleep, many students choose caffeine as their energizer.

“I definitely think we do have a caffeine addiction problem at Algonquin,” health and fitness teacher Kristen Morcone said. “I think you know at this age it’s a problem when they [students] are relying on artificial energy from caffeine rather than getting the sleep they need.”

Some faculty members have expressed concerns regarding students consuming too much caffeine.

“I think maybe what disturbs me the most is when kids are very young and they’re drinking a lot of coffee,” school nurse Justine Fishman said. “We see people coming in with a quart a day. It’s distressing to see kids who are late repeatedly for school because they had to stop for coffee.”

“Caffeine addiction has started a lot younger these days and I feel like there are a lot of kids here at Algonquin that do rely on caffeine to get their day started,” heath and fitness teacher Melissa Arvanigian said.

Abusing caffeine at a young age can lead to problems later in life.

“I don’t think you see them [long-term effects] for years, but if it’s chronic in your system, the overuse of caffeine can contribute to heart attacks because of an increase in your heart rate,” school nurse Sheere Caron said. “So if you do that on a consistent basis all the time, you’re predisposing yourself to cardiac issues.”

“Caffeine causes you to become dehydrated because you excrete fluids faster,” Caron said. “Therefore, if you’re constantly dehydrated there could be chronic problems and eventually kidney issues. But those are all years and years of significant overuse. There are negative short-term and negative long-term effects, but there’s also benefits and it depends on the timing and the amount.”

The nurses reported that they are sometimes visited by students who abuse caffeine.

“They can be shaky because they did a couple Red Bulls and stayed up too late to study for a test or to write a paper,” Fishman said, “and then they got to school the next morning and really feel awful.”

Healthline states that some symptoms for immense caffeine intake include jitters, irritability, perspiring, headaches, dehydration, dizziness, and increased heart rate.

“Whenever I drink even a small coffee, it always makes me really jittery, and makes my mind feel like it’s racing a mile a minute,” junior Meagan Stassi said.

Junior Regan Doherty relies on caffeine to help her succeed in school.

“I drink coffee everyday, sometimes twice depending on the stress level, Doherty said. “I’ll either buy it at Dunkin Donuts or make it at home.”

Amongst all the hindrances, caffeine can yield positive effects.

MensHealth states that caffeine can help with migraines, improve your memory, keep people awake, and help with fatigue.

“I do think there are some benefits,” Morcone said. “I just don’t think that the positive aspects outweigh the negative aspects for a high school student.”

“It’s a balance; everything in life is a balance,” Fishman said.