Why Am I So Jittery?

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Coffee Products lead the rankings in many categories

Ask Yourself, Why Am I So Jittery?

More products than ever before contain unbelievable amounts of caffeine! 

 CrackHeads2 Candies (1 box 37 grams) = 1.5 Starbucks coffee (20 ounces) = two shots of 5-Hour Energy = 2.5 Monster Energy Drinks (16 ounces) = 12 cans of Coca-Cola (12 ounce) = 21 Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bars (1.5 ounces) = 2 NoDoz tablets.

Even though caffeine might keep people alert — some may argue it’s a prized quality of an always-turned on world.  Hyped-up, amp'd, and buzzed nearly all day long like so many are, it stimulates the brain's pleasure centers, and it’s mildly addictive.  More than just naturally occurring, these are just two possible reasons why so many manufacturers and suppliers add a little extra to foods and drinks.

Energy Drink Brand

Data supplied by FoodNavigator-USA reveals how the 5-Hour Energy shot surged 35.7% to $924 million in the 52 weeks ending August 7.  Producing 36- million bottles a month, this gives the little shot an 88% market share.  And while the brand extension of 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength jumped to $13.6 million, the 5-Hour Energy brand owns 89.3% of the market share for energy shots.  Comparatively, the energy drink market enjoys $8.0 billion in sales each year in the U.S. alone. Overall, the energy shot market in the United States is worth $1.05 billion, and doesn’t include Wal-Mart sales so the numbers could be a lot bigger.  

If you're asking yourself, who drinks this stuff, the success of 5-Hour Energy has been the ability to appeal to office workers and older consumers who are trying to stay alert.  Energy drinks and energy shots are different, and both appeal to different groups. They say energy drinks are about rebelliousness associated with extreme sports, younger people, and men in particular keeping up with friends in social activities more than anything else —situating nicely into a wide range of diversified social settings.  Shots however, appeal to a wider group of older people, women and professionals in an office environment because staying alert, and working harder in a cubicle, an assembly line, or driving is more important to them in order to keep their job, and solitary consumption is much more common.  Although energy shots have a universal appeal over energy drinks, (aimed at 18-34-year-olds) we see 55+-year-olds are the ones buying energy shots. 

Typical ingredients

The growing caffeinated-foods industry has raised a high level of scrutiny at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lately.  Although the FDA does not regulate the amount of caffeine in foods and drinks— they say less than 400 mg a day "is not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects." However, it is reconsidering regulations because some manufacturers are adding caffeine in many other products you'd never suspect, and at such high doses, and combined with large serving sizes, they can pack a bigger punch than you'd ever know.  Energy drinks often provide a bigger kick because they contain a cocktail of other ingredients that artificially magnify alertness, and what you might perceive as stamina and endurance when all it’s nothing more than a stimulant —with a crash sure to come.

The FDA is concerned about the cumulative effects of the daily and multiple intake of caffeine products all through the day, which could lead to dependency.  All too often it’s the “caffeine withdrawal headache” experienced by some alerting them to a problem.  If they fail to get their caffeine fix by 10 o'clock in the morning, these headaches can be worse than a migraine headache episode, and the withdrawals can last for days at a time.  All because of the rebound swelling of blood vessels around the brain from not being artificially constricted sometimes days, weeks or months at a time thanks to the effects of caffeine.  Also, the American Academy of pediatrics cautions parents that the consumption of caffeine products by children may be linked to the onset of some neurological and other cardiovascular problems.

Bless and be blessed, ALWAYS

Lewis Meltz