How long does Red Bull keep you up

For many of us, a can of Red Bull helps to wake us up in the morning or power through a tiring long afternoon.

While considered useful on a long drive the effects of the drinks have been subject to some scrutiny in the past.

Despite this perception, Red Bull is consumed on an everyday basis by some people who have come to rely on its caffeine boost.

But what actually happens to our bodies when we chug down an energy drink, regardless of the brand?

Back in 2013, online gift website Personalise gathered data which shows the remarkable impact a single can can have on our health.

It produced this handy infographic that details them – and it’s safe to say the impact is extraordinary, and arguably a little worrying.

The Personalise step-by-step guide to what energy drinks do to our bodies

1. During the first ten minutes of drinking an energy drink, the caffeine starts to be absorbed into your bloodstream, and your body responds by increasing your heart rate and blood pressure.

2. At some point during the first 15-45 minutes, depending how fast you drink it, the levels of caffeine will peak, you’ll feel alert and find your concentration is improved. This is due to caffeine being a stimulant drug. This is when it’s recommended to drink one if you are driving and feel you need to be more alert.

3. 30 to 50 minutes after you finish your drink and your body has now fully absorbed the caffeine, your liver will often then react by absorbing more sugar. It’s during this time that your body has also absorbed most of the sugar initially in the drink as well.

4. An hour in and you’ll likely be getting the dreaded ‘sugar crash’ – this is often a mix of the sugar levels in your bloodstream dropping as well as the effects of the caffeine dying down.

5. Roughly five to six hours is the half-life of caffeine. This means that it takes this many hours for your body to reduce the caffeine content in your bloodstream by 50 per cent. For women who take an oral contraceptive, this time is doubled.

6. For most people, after 12 hours of finishing the energy drink, all the caffeine will have been removed from your bloodstream, but the exact speed or time will vary from person-to-person.

7. For regular drinkers, you’ll find that between 12 and 24 hours is the time for when you’ll start to feel withdrawal symptoms – i.e. the urge for some caffeine. Other effects of this include headaches, irritability and constipation.

8. Studies have shown that up to 12 days is the point in which your body will become tolerant of your daily caffeine dosage. One study found that of those who took a caffeine pill, and others who had a placebo, displayed identical moods, alert levels and energy after 18 days. Simply, people who had the high dosage of caffeine had got used to the caffeine fix.

So, should we really be consuming energy drinks?

A lot of us need caffeine to feel as though we’re able to function. Studies have suggested there are both benefits and negative points in consuming the drug.

The recommended dosage of caffeine per day is 400mg, and Red Bull’s 80mg is well within that. But that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily good for us.

One nutritionist previously told the Daily Star: “Energy drinks are a bad way to get caffeine. Many people drink energy drinks every day to help them survive busy week.

“However, relying on those drinks, push our bodies to the limit. We still need to sleep and eat properly, but if we won’t do it on time and ignore our needs, most likely we will crash later on.”

And Gavin Partington, British Soft Drinks Association director general, added: “Energy drinks deliver a caffeine or glucose-based energy boost and are enjoyed by millions worldwide.

“In fact, this year the European Food Safety Authority reaffirmed the safety of energy drinks and their ingredients.”

It’s always necessary to know the duration of a product’s effects. You may also wonder if the product can live up to your expectations or estimates.

In the USA alone, there are claims that Red Bull has a hold on 24.6% of the consumer market. This means that Red Bull is a major player in the industry, but does this mean you can lean on it during your daily activities?

Red Bull’s ingredients are fully absorbed into your bloodstream and the effects gradually reduce after that time. The half-life of caffeine is approximately 5 hours, meaning that you’ll still have 40mg of caffeine in your system at that time. The ingredients will be completely out of your system after 24 hours.

And if we’re talking about shelf life, then you’d be happy to know that Red Bull can last more than a year. But of course, you’d need to properly store it appropriately for the can to last that long.

Keep reading to learn more about Red Bull’s effects on your body and how long they last.

• Red Bull Ingredients
• Red Bull Nutritional Information
• What Does Red Bull Do To Your Body?
  • How Does Red Bull Give You Energy?
• How Long Does It Take for a Red Bull to Wear Off?
• How Long Does Red Bull Last Once Open?
• How Many Red Bulls Can You Drink In A Day?
• Can We Drink Red Bull On An Empty Stomach?
• Can You Be Addicted to Red Bull?
• Alternative Energy Drinks to Red Bull
  • Aspire Energy
  • Bang
  • REIZE (Top Pick)
  • Other Notable Mentions
• The Final Say

Red Bull Ingredients

• Carbonated Water
• Sucrose
• Glucose
• Citric Acid
• Taurine
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Magnesium Carbonate
• Caffeine
• Niacinamide
• Calcium Pantothenate
• Pyridoxine HCl
• Natural and artificial flavors
• Colors

Red Bull uses a preservative called Citric acid. This element is used to give products longer shelf life. In fact, cosmetics products also make use of this. 

On another note, Red Bull didn’t specify what its natural and artificial flavors are. But some brands do the same thing too, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

Red Bull Nutritional Information

Aside from the mentioned ingredients, Red Bull contains the following nutrients:

What Does Red Bull Do To Your Body?

Of course, it can energize your body mainly because of its caffeine content. Like most energy drinks, after taking Red Bull, the first ten minutes will cause an increase in your blood pressure. After an hour, you’ll feel the surge of energy at its peak. 

Here’s a video that could explain to you what exactly does energy drinks do to your body.

How Does Red Bull Give You Energy?

Caffeine acts as a stimulant that energizes you. Since Red Bull has 80 mg of it, I’d say that’s pretty minimal and won’t cause many side effects.

In addition, Red Bull also has 27 grams of sugar that can serve as fuel as you go through the day’s activities. That’s kind of a hefty amount for me already, but if you regularly do workouts, then you’d be able to burn all that sugar.

Lastly, Red Bull also contains Taurine, which is a nutrient that also improves your mental and physical performance.

While we don’t know precisely how much taurine is in a can of Red Bull, this article states that 3000mg of taurine is still safe.

How Long Does It Take for a Red Bull to Wear Off?

If the peak level is around 60 minutes after intake, Red Bull’s effect wears off four hours after taking it. However, you may not feel the stimulating effects of caffeine by then, but it’s still there. 

If you don’t know already, caffeine has a half-life. This article defines this as half the original amount of the substance left in your body after 5 hours. 

Therefore, if you drink a can of Red Bull right after 5 hours, right after the peak is gone, you still have 40mg of caffeine left within your system. You don’t have to worry much, though. This would just disappear within the next 5 hours.

Well, even after you open it, it’s still safe to drink for at least two to four days. However, I think you should leave it inside your refrigerator if you won’t be finishing the whole can.

On the other hand, leaving it in an open space might jeopardize its safety, especially if you leave it open without any lid for hours or days. Flies may have gone in and out of the can, for who knows. 

Before you open it, I suggest you check its expiry date indicated on its can too. It’s said that the expiry label will run between twelve to twenty-four monthsafter it was fabricated. This is why you should always check its manufactured date and best before date. 

How Many Red Bulls Can You Drink In A Day?

I think one can to two cans is enough. But of course, that will still depend on your tolerance. If you feel like taking one can is too much for your body, don’t think of having anymore.

The FDA doesn’t specify how many cans are safe for a day for energy drinks. However, just by looking at their guidelines regarding caffeine, they say it’s safe to consume only 400mg of it per day.

Having too much caffeine in your body can dehydrate you and make you suffer from caffeine overdose. You can also encounter other side effects such as:

• Headaches
• Nervousness
• Palpitation
• Hallucination
• Anxiety
• Nausea

The calorie content of Red Bull is another thing to check. First off, the recommended daily calorie limit for adults is between 1,600 and 3,000 calories per day.

I guess Red Bull’s 110 calories won’t cause you to gain extra weight. Except when you’re daily meal is over 3000 calories per day. Besides, you can quickly burn 110 calories by swimming and jogging.

Can We Drink Red Bull On An Empty Stomach?

You can, but you shouldn’t. Drinking energy drinks on an empty stomach can ruin your metabolism and digestive functions. A shocking finding states that drinking energy drinks on an empty stomach can cause Transient Ischemic Attacks.

This is sometimes called a mini-stroke. Although you can recover from it without any intervention, this could be a warning that you might develop a full stroke in the future. 

Therefore, even if you need that boost, eat a proper meal first. You might also resort to a healthy diet to prevent other health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Can You Be Addicted to Red Bull?

You can be addicted to anything with additives, especially if it tastes great. As you know, Red Bull’s sweet soda-like taste is appealing for most. 

Red Bull has 27g of sugar, and according to this article, you should only have 30g of sugar on your body daily. Any more than that could lead to sugar crashes which won’t benefit your workout.

This means you should be wary of its sugar content along with the caffeine content. Otherwise, you may experience side effects related to sugar and caffeine.

Alternative Energy Drinks to Red Bull

Like I’ve said, Red Bull isn’t the only energy drink that can give you energy for long hours of gaming. If you want to go for something different, you can consider these: 

Aspire Energy

Just like Red Bull, Aspire energy has 80mg of caffeine too. However, I think this is a better option than Red Bull because it’s sugar-free and calorie-free!

It’s also loaded with vitamin Bs, sodium, and calcium to strengthen your performance. More than that, it also keeps your fluid balance and bone health. I like this energy drink because it claims to be vegan-friendly as well.

Bang

You can try this if you’re more of a caffeine person and you sweat a lot. You might have heard that Bang energy has 300mg caffeine. This energy drink is also packed with electrolytes and minerals, which would help keep your body fluids stable.

Moreover, it also has amino acids that’ll increase alertness, focus, and endurance. While it contains no sugar and few calories, its caffeine content is something you should watch out for. 

REIZE (Top Pick)

In contrast with Bang, REIZE’s caffeine is at 50mg only. While you might think it won’t have any effects on your body, this isn’t so. It has a palpable push that could last just as much as Red Bull.

Moreover, it’s packed with nutrients you cannot find in Red Bull, such as ginseng and inositol. REIZE is also sugar-free with only a few calories. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about having a sugar crash or caffeine overdose. 

What I like most about REIZE is that it comes in handy 4g sachets that I can take with me anywhere. Whip up a fresh and fizzy glass of REIZE anytime you want!

You can get REIZE for only around $1 per sachet and you can even have your orders shipped straight to your door.

Try REIZE now!

Other Notable Mentions

• Celsius
• Monster
• Bing

The Final Say

The energy you’ll get from Red Bull is incredible, especially during the one to four hours after consuming it. I think that’s already enough time for an exercise session. Plus, you can still use some of the energy left for errands.

Therefore, if you have a low tolerance for caffeine, chances are you would feel the side effects much earlier than others who don’t. However, you’re less likely to feel this from Red Bull because its caffeine content is pretty modest.

That said, the side effects may differ for each person. Just in case you face any, consult your doctor right away. 

Have other questions about Red Bull?

I’ve put together this epic Red Bull resource directory where you’ll find everything you could ever want to know about Red Bull energy drink.

How long does Red Bull take to wear off?

How long after Red Bull can I sleep?

Does Red Bull keep you awake?