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After sleeping only a few hours, McLean High School senior Leyal Barakat starts her morning with an ice-cold Celsius. She drinks another during her final class, then has a large coffee at home before confronting her homework.

The caffeine helps her push through the evening—but the same routine begins again the next morning.

For many McLean students, coffee and energy drinks have become tools for managing demanding classes, late practices and chronic sleep loss. A survey of 328 students found that 72% regularly consume caffeine. About 12.8% drink it daily, while 17.1% have it at least three times a week.

“Energy drinks have become part of my routine now,” senior Emma Duffy said. “I need to have one in the mornings, whenever I’m at Target or if I see one at a gas station.”

Coffee was the first choice of 32% of surveyed students, followed by soda at 21%, energy drinks at 20% and tea at 15%. Popular energy drinks such as Celsius, Monster and Alani Nu can contain around 200 milligrams of caffeine in a single can.

Junior Liz Daly said she consumes two or three coffees and one or two energy drinks each day, depending on her schedule and fatigue.

Caffeine occurs naturally in cacao beans, tea leaves and guarana berries. It can also be produced artificially and added to food, beverages and supplements. Although moderate use may improve mood and concentration, heavy consumption can cause anxiety, shakiness and dependence.

“Caffeine is considered a drug because it has an impact on mental processes and behavior,” AP Psychology teacher Joseph Dwyer said.

School Pressure Feeds the Habit

Students described exhaustion as the main force driving their caffeine use. Heavy course loads, homework, screen time, sports and other activities can keep teenagers awake late into the night, leaving them searching for an energy boost the following day.

“At McLean, there’s a culture of more is better,” Dwyer said. “Students are often on course loads that are much more intensive than they need to be.”

Dr. Florencia Segura of Einstein Pediatrics in Vienna said sleep deprivation is the leading reason teenagers turn to caffeine. She also pointed to screen use and exposure to blue light before bedtime as contributors to poor sleep.

Barakat said caffeine now feels inseparable from her routine.

“I feel almost naked if I don’t have a drink in my hand at the start of the day,” she said.

Late extracurricular activities can intensify the problem. Duffy said many members of her cheer team bring energy drinks to practice because they arrive drained after full days of classes and tests.

The caffeine may temporarily mask fatigue, but it can also make sleep more difficult, creating a loop in which students are tired, consume caffeine and then struggle to get enough rest.

“A lot of drugs do this, where the more you use it, the more your body depends on it to be in its natural state,” chemistry teacher Allison Miller said. “Without it, you’re actually worse than you were before you started consuming it.”

The Boost Comes With Health Costs

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teenagers avoid caffeine, while suggesting a daily ceiling of 100 milligrams for those ages 12 to 18. Segura said another guideline places the maximum at 2.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight—roughly the caffeine in a cup and a half of coffee for an average teenager.

More than 20% of surveyed McLean students reported consuming 200 milligrams per day, and 10% said they exceed 300 milligrams. The Food and Drug Administration’s frequently cited level of 400 milligrams applies to most healthy adults, not children.

Duffy said certain energy drinks make her shaky, particularly when she consumes them without eating. Senior Anderson Velasquez experiences a similar effect.

“When I drink caffeine, I feel the jitters almost immediately,” Velasquez said. “I usually end up getting nothing done.”

Caffeine can raise heart rate and blood pressure and may contribute to palpitations. Miller avoids it because of lifelong cardiac problems, saying even a few sips of Coca-Cola can make her hands shake.

Biology teacher Julia Murdock recalled a friend who stopped drinking coffee after experiencing heart trouble and making multiple hospital visits. Individual reactions vary, she said, and some people are advised to eliminate caffeine because of its effects on their hearts and nervous systems.

Heavy coffee consumption may also affect cholesterol. MedStar Health has reported that regularly drinking large quantities can raise cholesterol by nearly 12 milligrams per deciliter. High cholesterol during adolescence can contribute to plaque accumulating in artery walls and increase cardiovascular risks later in life.

Poor sleep compounds those concerns. Dwyer said sleep deprivation can impair memory, weaken the body’s resistance to illness and is associated with obesity and mental health difficulties.

A rare but deadly 2017 case demonstrated how quickly caffeine can become dangerous. A 16-year-old South Carolina student died after consuming a latte, a soda and an energy drink within about two hours. The coroner attributed the death to a probable caffeine-induced arrhythmia.

Dependence Makes Cutting Back Difficult

A study published by the International Society of Addiction Journal found that 22% of caffeine consumers ages 13 to 17 displayed at least three signs of dependence. Those indicators can include needing caffeine to function normally, developing greater tolerance, continuing despite known harm, wanting to reduce consumption and experiencing withdrawal.

Barakat recognized her own dependence after her crew team attempted a caffeine-free week.

“It was the worst week of my life,” she said. “That’s when I realized I really needed to try and cut back. I was going through withdrawal.”

Caffeine blocks adenosine, a chemical involved in making the body feel tired. With continued use, the brain can develop additional adenosine receptors. When someone suddenly stops consuming caffeine, those receptors are no longer blocked, contributing to intense fatigue.

Segura said headaches, tiredness and reduced alertness commonly peak one or two days after caffeine is eliminated. Duffy said she develops headaches if she does not consume at least 200 to 300 milligrams.

Reducing intake gradually may make the process more manageable. Suggested strategies include switching to decaffeinated coffee, drinking more water, eating a balanced diet and consistently getting at least eight hours of sleep. Physical activity can also provide an energy boost and support memory without disrupting the body in the same way as caffeine.

Junior Phineas Holmes said cutting back changed his relationship with energy drinks.

“I don’t need it in the morning or at night anymore,” Holmes said. “I just drink energy drinks for the flavor because they taste good.”

Segura said teenagers may have an advantage when breaking a caffeine habit because their brains remain adaptable. Support from friends and family can make the change easier.

“Youth is definitely beneficial to breaking any habit,” she said. “With a strong social backing, most habits can be broken at these formative ages.”