RELATED: If You Notice This While Drinking Wine, Stop Immediately, Experts Warn. Though some tout energy drinks as the answer to a workout slump, medical experts say you should think twice before mixing the beverages with exercise—or consuming them at all. The CDC warns that energy drinks typically contain excessive amounts of caffeine, sugar, additives, and stimulants such as guarana, taurine, and L-carnitine. This combination of ingredients has been known to trigger strokes in otherwise healthy individuals. “Energy drinks have megadoses of caffeine and sometimes other stimulants. We find that some people who use them come into the hospital with strokes or severe brain hemorrhages,” rheumatologist Rula Hajj-Ali, MD told the Cleveland Clinic. “These are typically young, otherwise healthy people in their 30s and 40s,” she notes. Hajj-Ali explains that if your body is sensitive to the ingredients in energy drinks, you may experience a problem the first time you consume one, but this is not always the case. “Some people who have been drinking energy drinks for some time become more sensitive to them as time goes on,” Hajj-Ali warns. RELATED: The Major Negative Effect of Drinking Ice Water You Didn’t Know, Study Says. Drinking an energy drink just before you work out is known to cause a condition called reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS). This occurs when the blood vessels in the brain suddenly spasm, restricting the brain’s blood supply or causing hemorrhage. Though most people recover from RCVS and its effects are considered reversible, the condition has, in rare cases, resulted in patient mortality. The Cleveland Clinic notes that the majority of individuals who suffer from an RCVS episode are between the ages of 20 and 50. When not associated with the consumption of energy drinks or an underlying health condition, RCVS is frequently the result of illicit drug use. It is also sometimes associated with the use of antidepressants, certain migraine medications, immunosuppressants, and more. The single most important symptom to recognize in cases of RCVS is what experts describe as “thunderclap headaches.” These are sudden and intense headaches that appear abruptly and typically last for at least five minutes. In addition to a sudden headache, you may experience changes in vision, new confusion, trouble speaking, tingling and numbness, or weakness on one side of the body, experts at Cedars-Sinai explain. These are all signs that you should seek immediate emergency care, and that you are at greater risk of a possible stroke. It’s also important to note that symptoms of RCVS are similar to a related condition called central nervous system vasculitis (CNS), but that the treatments for the two illnesses differ greatly. If you experience these symptoms after consuming an energy drink or another known trigger of RCVS, be sure to relay that information to your doctor. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there’s no shortage of side effects to energy drinks. In addition to RCVS, these include damage to the nervous system, heart problems, severe dehydration, anxiety, insomnia, hypertension, and changes in breathing. For this reason, the CDC says it’s important to “educate athletes about the difference between energy drinks and sports drinks and potential dangers of consuming highly caffeinated beverages.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb In lieu of energy drinks, you can prepare for your workout by getting enough sleep and staying hydrated. The Mayo Clinic says you can achieve your best performance by fueling up on a balanced diet that includes carbs, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. A small amount of caffeine (a single cup of coffee, for instance) is safe to drink, too. After your workout, the clinic recommends replenishing your body with protein-rich food and—you guessed it—more water. In short, skip the energy drinks for a safer, more sustainable workout plan. RELATED: This Long-Time Rumor About Diet Soda Was Just Confirmed by a New Study.
