In a conversational interview, Kelsey Higginson argues that energy drinks are generally a poor choice for athletes, estimating that about 90% of the time they are used as a Band‑Aid rather than a true aid. She explains that many athletes turn to these drinks because they are low on real fuel and sleep, leading to a false sense of energy that does not support muscle performance. Higginson emphasizes that proper nutrition and sufficient sleep—especially for teenage athletes undergoing puberty and heavy training—are essential. While she largely advises against energy drinks, she acknowledges that caffeine, when dosed correctly, can be a legitimate performance enhancer for endurance athletes, improving stamina, mental sharpness, and reaction time.
Chapters
Do you think it's okay for athletes to be using energy drinks?
I'm going to say 90% of the time, probably not, especially if they're using it the way that I think most athletes are using energy drinks, and that is as a Band-Aid and not an aid. Which means most athletes use energy drinks because they're low on energy. The thing that they're low on is actually fuel. They're running their bodies like crazy. They're going from lifting to training to practice. They're depleted of energy, so they think they need an energy drink to keep their energy up, but that energy is kind of just false fake energy, not real energy that your muscles can use and run off of. It's just slapping a Band-Aid on a broken pipe. Same thing goes for sleep. A lot of athletes wake up, they feel gross, they feel groggy. They went to bed at midnight and they're getting up at 6 AM, so it's no wonder they're feeling gross and groggy if they're running off of 6 hours of sleep when their teenage bodies that are going through puberty, lifting like crazy, taxing their body with different physical activity throughout the day, they need lots of sleep. Now caffeine can be an awesome performance enhancer when used properly. Take endurance Athletes, for instance, caffeine can help improve endurance. It can help the mind stay a little bit sharper. It can help with maybe a little bit quicker reaction times if used properly with the right dosaging, not just slamming down a Rockstar right before a 5 PM practice. And so energy drinks in general, I'm probably going to say no, but caffeine sometimes if used as an aid.
