Mixing energy drinks such as Red Bull and alcoholic beverages is not good for your system, so says a study conducted by the Northern Kentucky University. Our body knows how much alcohol is too much alcohol and that is why it sends out signals such as tiredness and sleepiness. These signals suggest that one should take rest and put an end to alcohol for the day. But unfortunately, some people try to fool the system in order to drink and stay awake for longer time. So they take to energy drinks and mix it with alcohol.
The new study reveals that the brain actually shuts off these natural cues that protect people making mistakes in judgement. So this means that combining drinks removes any built-in checks your body has for overindulging. Cecile Marczinski, a psychologist at Northern Kentucky University states that people drinking a combination of alcohol and energy drinks lost their natural control. The study involved some volunteers who were tested after drinking either plain alcoholic drinks; mixed beverages containing alcohol and energy drinks; energy drinks alone; or a non-alcoholic beverage. The results showed that consuming the combination of energy and alcohol drinks reported twice as much stimulation as those drinking alcohol alone. They tended to report less sedation and fewer symptoms like tiredness or sleepiness. "The disconnect between what you feel and how you act is what is the problem here. Stimulation may not be a good thing when you're drinking because you may decide to stay at the party where you're drinking longer, and drink far more than you originally intended." Says Marczinski.
Normally, we tend to think that the caffeine present in the energy drinks is alone responsible for reduction in judgment. But it turns out that there are other ingredients in the energy drinks which contribute to this effect. Marczinski states, "I always thought that it was a marketing thing when they mention the other things they put in like taurine, glucose and ginseng, but I think they do facilitate that stimulation; it's not just the caffeine."
People opt for such drinks in order to stay up longer in the nights during exams or to work or even sometimes to tackle tiredness. But one should remember that energy drinks often contain caffeine and other ingredients which are not good for our health. Just because they are termed powerful drinks it doesn't mean that we become powerful by drinking these drinks. Such drinks are known to cause elevated blood pressure and dehydration.
