Between school, part-time jobs, activities, planning for their future, and navigating complex social and emotional situations, it's truly not easy to be a teenager. While they're trying to deal with all of those things, the one thing that almost always gets sacrificed is sleep. So instead of getting the good, healthy amounts of sleep their developing bodies need, they get far too little, and try to make up for it by ingesting too much caffeine.

Where they get their caffeine

Caffeine is a drug that stimulates the nervous system, giving a feeling of awareness and energy for a limited amount of time. It occurs naturally in many plants, but it can also be created synthetically and added to drinks, foods, and medications.

For teens there are two main sources of the caffeine they're ingesting.

?Sodas. Most sodas contain less caffeine than a cup of coffee, but more than a glass of iced or hot tea. The exceptions to this are clear sodas, like Sprite and Fresca, and most root beers (except for Barq's, which contains caffeine).

?Energy drinks. These drinks, such as Red Bull, Monster, and Venom, contain as much caffeine as a cup of coffee of the same size, but they also contain other stimulants such as ginseng and guarana in addition to the caffeine.

Other ways teens get caffeine include.

?Coffee

?Caffeine pills such as No-Doze

?Chocolate

?Diet pills

?Hot chocolate

?Tea and flavored tea drinks, like Snapple

How caffeine can harm them

There are two issues with teens and caffeine. One is that they aren't getting enough sleep, and the other is that they are ingesting too much caffeine.

A developing body needs sleep for many reasons. During sleep, the body repairs itself at the cellular level, mending the tissues and other areas that have been damaged simply through the wear and tear of daily living. Growth also takes place during sleep, as cellular regeneration adds to bone and muscle growth. Immune systems require enough rest to stay working, so those who don't get enough sleep are more prone to illnesses.

And of course, healthy sleeping habits are absolutely crucial to emotional and mental well-being; teens who struggle with depression or ADHD will find themselves more able to deal with those problems if their minds are well-rested. All people, teens included, think better on a good night's sleep, and so a lack of sleep can contribute to falling grades or conflicted relationships. And teens who haven't had enough sleep are also more likely to get in car accidents or get hurt at work.

As if lack of sleep weren't problematic enough, teens then drink sodas or energy drinks to make up for it. These things are so harmful to teen health that many schools have stopped selling soft drinks in their vending machines altogether. In addition to the caffeine, energy drinks contain herbal stimulants, whose safety has not been evaluated, as well as sugar and fat. The empty calories in sodas and energy drinks contribute to teen obesity, eating disorders, self-esteem issues, diabetes, and nutritional disorders.

Caffeine can speed up heart rate, causing palpations or even heart attacks. It is a diuretic, meaning it provokes urination, and causes sweating, so that the body is being leeched of its necessary hydration. Caffeine causes headaches, but so does caffeine withdrawal, so anything a teen does involving caffeine will be likely to make his or her head hurt. Caffeine can also keep teens from getting the sleep they so badly need.

Encourage your kids to get enough sleep. Help them organize their activities and responsibilities so that they aren't overwhelmed, and impress upon them that if they don't take care of their health, everything else will fall by the wayside, too. After all, we only get one body; we have to take good care of it.