If you ever watched a child or teenager swig an energy drink and felt as if there was something fundamentally wrong with that picture, you were right, according to new medical research.
I was interviewed on BBC Radio Three Counties today discussing children who are constantly wired and on the go. When I run my Beat Bullying -Confidence Classes for Kids Workshops ( next one Saturday 3rd December – book here now as places are strictly limitedand are filling up quickly.)
I do an exercise called “The Garden of Dreams” where I get the children to relax, and to rest their heads on the table or lie on the floor to visualise a wonderful place called “The Garden of Dreams” where I take them into all sorts of relaxing places from sunkissed beaches with yellow sand to blue skies filled with fluffy white clouds drifting by on a gentle breeze.
Children who are constantly on their Smartphone, playing their ever increasingly fast and furious computer games and swigging energy drinks find it incredibly hard to concentrate at school, stick at something for a long time and just “be” – I think we are called human beings for a reason – we are not called human “doings.”
They also find it difficult to sleep and more importantly to just RELAX !
A new study from the journal Pediatrics details the risks that energy drinks could pose to children and teens who might react adversely to “high and unregulated amounts of caffeine” as well as other stimulants such as guarana and taurine. The drinks have been linked to serious adverse effects, including seizures and stroke, the report finds.
The study, which reviews evidence from scientific journals and other publications worldwide about energy drinks and any negative effects associated with their use, concludes that doctors should be on the lookout for side effects of the drinks, such as nausea, dizziness, rapid heart rate, and seizures.
Read more here
Here’s the link to the BBC Radio Three Counties programme page where people can get more information about the show and listen again to the programme.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Read more about my local Secondary School Oxted County banning high-energy drinks here