Caffeine addictions run rampant all throughout the world, mostly in the young adult portion of the population. But just how addicted are our very own students of Westside High School?  A recent study and student interviews were conducted to get to the bottom of this burning question.

Young adults have become increasingly more stressed.  A recent study from Cardiacscreen,co states  “60% of 18-24 year olds and 41% of 25-34 year olds.” (cardiacscreen.co). It is to be assumed that the intense amount of stress and pressure put among our youth is deeply affecting our sleep schedule. Sarah Alvi, a senior at Westside High School was interviewed over her sleep schedule, and here is what she had to say, “I usually only get about 4 hours of sleep, if I am lucky. I am just so busy with school and soccer along with all the other extracurriculars I am involved in to catch a break.” When asked about what she did to resolve this problem she simply shrugged and replied,” I just drink energy drinks.” And Sarah Alvi is not the only one who has said something along those lines.

Mateo Gantiva, another senior at Westside High says he drinks “Monsters, coffee, and the occasional cup of tea” about 3 times a week.  However, Leena Daghri, another senior at school claims she never drinks caffeine, and many others agree with her. A recent survey conducted by Paulina Parra surveyed 20 students and the results were roughly split. Attached is a summary of the results.

As seen by the results, the exact answer to our question cannot be answered with a firm statement.

However, it seems that the problem may just be that students are being asked too much, thus leading them to develop unhealthy habits to cope with the consequences. Every single student interviewed agreed to the fact that they are being overworked, especially upperclassmen. Upperclassmen are encouraged to join several clubs and take AP classes to look impressive to colleges, which most begin to apply to their junior year and beginning of senior year. Lack of sleep and free time seem to be the real issue at hand. If our students were not pressured to go above and beyond, the need to indulge in unhealthy behaviors such as the overconsumption of caffeine would not be present.

It’s time we let our youth relax and not be so stressed over their academics, because it is severely hurting them in the long run. Studies show that overconsumption of caffeine can lead to developing anxiety, insomnia, digestive issues, muscle breakdown, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and fatigue, according to heathline.com. Teachers should be understanding to their students, and give them breaks when they are overwhelmed with all the things in their life. Being a teenager in this day and age can be extremely stressful, there is so much to worry about like social media,  school, family, jobs, and so many other things.  The real issue is how stressed students are, and this is the root of all evil, because it leads to unhealthy habits.