Dr. Deb

What’s the Buzz?

Any given morning, I see Moms holding onto their cup of coffee as if it was their last connection to humanity.  They savor the warm indulgence, their caffeinated lifeline to daily survival.  A steaming cup of brewed coffee has now joined Mom and apple pie as American traditions.

However, in our seemingly innocuous morning habit, we as parents may be modeling such consumption among our children and may be fueling an alarming trend among our teenagers:  the ingestion of extraordinarily high levels of caffeine in sports drinks, soda pop, and other beverages.  Like their parents, teens have come in ever increasing frequency to depend upon caffeinated drinks to help them navigate their frenetic, jam-packed schedules.  The consequences may include irritability, physical addiction, tolerance, and disruption of sleep patterns.  And we all know how teenagers need their sleep!! (more…)