Some mornings, you are not drinking an energy drink because you want one.

You are drinking it because you do not know how else you will make it through the day.

The can may keep your eyes open, but it cannot give your body the rest it missed. Energy drinks can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Taking them late may also disturb your sleep, leaving you reaching for another can the next day.

Before you drink one, check the label. Some energy drinks contain more than 300 mg of caffeine in a 16-ounce container. For most healthy adults, 400 mg a day is generally considered the upper limit, not a target. Remember to include caffeine from coffee, tea, cola and pre-workout products in your total.

Never mix an energy drink with alcohol. Caffeine may make you feel more awake, but it does not make you less impaired. The combination may encourage you to drink more and can increase the risk of high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat.

If you develop chest pain, fainting, severe breathlessness or a heartbeat that remains very fast or irregular, seek urgent medical help.

And if you need energy drinks every day just to function, pause. The exhaustion itself deserves attention.

Energy drinks do not replace the rest your body needs.

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