{"id":4984,"date":"2017-01-06T00:10:47","date_gmt":"2017-01-06T08:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/?p=4984"},"modified":"2018-05-15T09:56:03","modified_gmt":"2018-05-15T16:56:03","slug":"can-energy-drinks-cause-mania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/can-energy-drinks-cause-mania\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Energy Drinks Lead to Bipolar Disorder Mania?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0(This is one of my top ten posts. Let me know what you think! Julie)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve written many books on bipolar disorder and they all discuss mania extensively- but they don’t discuss energy drinks and how they might affect mania. The reason is that the explosion of these drinks on the market is so new that\u00a0it wasn’t even a topic of concern a few years ago.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How did so many products get on the market so quickly? I\u00a0think it was the success of Red Bull and it\u00a0moved on\u00a0from there.\u00a0 I have to ask: \u00a0Are we really that tired?\u00a0 Or do we just like feeling buzzed? \u00a0Who knows? \u00a0But I do know it’s a potential problem. <\/span><\/p>\n

Can these energy drinks lead to mania or exacerbate mania?<\/p>\n

Yes.<\/p>\n

But it might not be in the way you think. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It’s not that the energy drinks are bad for you because they\u00a0directly cause\u00a0mania. They don’t.\u00a0 They are not like drugs that go into your system and potentially\u00a0cause a manic episode such as meth, cocaine,\u00a0ADHD stimulants\u00a0or anti depressants. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Instead, the problem is that energy drinks significantly affect\u00a0 sleep.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Consistent research shows that one of the top triggers of bipolar disorder is\u00a0a change in\u00a0sleep patterns.<\/em>\u00a0 Thus, there is a link with the energy drinks and how they can rev\u00a0you\u00a0up to the point that sleep is\u00a0significantly impaired or impossible. This is a fire-starter for mania. (Is there a drink called Fire Starter? It wouldn’t surprise me!) <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>People without<\/em> bipolar disorder can drink all they want.\u00a0 I know\u00a0someone who drinks Rock Star all day and jumps around like a rabbit- but it is\u00a0her choice.\u00a0\u00a0She doesn’t \u00a0have a brain that gets manic.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0You or someone you care about probably does get manic.\u00a0\u00a0That is the difference.\u00a0It’s why you have to make\u00a0choices that consider bipolar disorder. Yes, it’s a bother and not fair, but it’s reality. <\/span>\u00a0Who thought a little can could cause so much trouble! <\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>The other night I was watching UFC\u00a0 (mixed martial arts) with my brother at a bar.\u00a0 The woman next to me ordered\u00a0her second\u00a0can of Red Bull. I thought- there is no way you could get me to drink that. I’d fly through the roof!\u00a0 Here is what she said when it arrived:<\/span>It’s not alcohol, but it gets me plenty high!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Another example: \u00a0I go to karaoke\u00a0regularly and see people order a Red Bull and Guinness.\u00a0 I am no prude and have had way, way\u00a0too much to drink in my lifetime to judge, but this just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.\u00a0 And very few people stop at just one. <\/span><\/p>\n

To be honest, having one energy drink early in the day\u00a0may not\u00a0affect your sleep.\u00a0\u00a0You will have to experiment. Problems start when\u00a0you drink them at night, all day or have more than enough at a bar and then can’t sleep.\u00a0 Please think about it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Energy drinks\u00a0may be over the counter- but so are cigarettes. If you have trouble with mania (or anxiety), energy drinks are not your friend.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s as though the energy drinks lull people into thinking they are not really a problem as they are sweet and a pretty color in a vibrant can. But beware!<\/p>\n

Julie<\/span><\/p>\n

– For more information, click here<\/a> to read an excellent article called Are Energy Drinks Safe?<\/span><\/p>\n

– If you’re a parent of a child who feels that energy drinks are no problem- feel free to pass this on. <\/span><\/p>\n

– My books that best explain mania the best are Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder<\/a>\u00a0 and \u00a0<\/span>The Health Cards Treatment System for Bipolar Disorder.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

– Information on my family coaching can be\u00a0found here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> I just received this excellent question:\u00a0 What about coffee?\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 The first difference is the amount of caffeine. Some of the drinks have the same caffeine as a cup of coffee.\u00a0 Some have quadruple. Another difference is sugar content (one has almost the double of a Coke) as well as other ‘natural’ stimulants used in the drink.\u00a0 (Sugar free versions are available, but their stimulant content stays the same.) And finally, it’s simply rare for someone to drink\u00a0espresso all day or all night. Can you imagine seeing someone with a big coffee mug of espresso and drinking it even while singing karaoke? Whew! <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(This is one of my top ten posts. Let me know what you think! Julie)<\/p>\n

I’ve written many books on bipolar disorder and they all discuss mania extensively- but they don’t discuss energy drinks and how they might affect mania. The reason is that the explosion of these drinks on the market is so new that it wasn’t even a topic of concern a few years ago. <\/p>\n

How did so many products get on the market so quickly? I think it was the success of Red Bull and it moved on from there. I have to ask: Are we really that tired? Or do we just like feeling buzzed? Who knows? But I do know it’s a potential problem. <\/p>\n

Can these energy drinks lead to mania or exacerbate mania?<\/p>\n

Yes.<\/p>\n

But it might not be in the way you think. [ Read More ]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4984"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4984"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11100,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4984\/revisions\/11100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}