Best Energy Drink to Stay Up All Night (Top Picks)
Energy drinks are the best pick-me-ups for a night that you have to work on a particular project or have to pull all-nighters for exam preparations.
It is tempting to pick this packaged fizzy soda that is tasty and full of an energy boost. But is it safe? And what are some of the best energy drinks that can help you stay up all night?
Short Answer: Any energy drink high in caffeine can help you stay up all night. Here are some of my best picks: Monster, Bang, and Red Bull.
Read till the end to find more about the link between energy drinks and staying awake all night.
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Buying Guide: Best Energy drink for an all-nighter
Caffeine
Energy drinks that contain 50 to 100mg of caffeine are best for pulling an all-nighter.
Anything more than 100mg can disturb your body’s sleep cycle and cause jitters and restlessness.
The effect might wear off faster compared to a highly caffeinated energy drink, but it is safer for your health. What you can do instead is combine your moderate amount of energy drink with other healthy energy-boosting foods.
You need to avoid energy drinks like Bang that contain whooping 300mg caffeine if you are caffeine sensitive. Always read labels and choose one with low caffeine amounts, such as Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar.
Highly caffeinated energy drinks like Bang and Reign primarily target customers who need energy for workouts and exercise. Still, you don’t need a caffeine overdose to stay up one night to do the task at hand. A healthy amount of 50mg to 100mg will do the work for you without causing any side effects.
Sugar Content
The second most important ingredient you should check in energy drinks is sugar.
Most energy drinks are loaded with a high level of sugar that is unhealthy for you. You should choose the energy drink with the lowest sugar for the best results.
High-sweetened drinks might be great at giving you the energy boost for an all-nighter, but their effect only lasts for a short period. Sugar in energy drinks can cause reactive hypoglycemia, also known as a sugar crash, that will not help you stay awake in any way.
I would recommend low sugar, low caffeine energy drink for an all-nighter.
What’s the best energy drink to stay up all night to?
Without further ado, here are my top picks of best energy drinks for pulling an all-night and getting your work done.
Here is a quick table to look at for the best energy drinks for staying up all night:
| Energy Drinks | Caffeine | Sugar | Price |
| Monster | 160mg | 54g | $3.20 per 16 fl. Oz |
| Red Bull | 80mg | 27g | $2 per 8.4 fl.Oz |
| Bang | 300mg | 0g | $2.20 per 16 fl, oz |
Monster
Monster is the 2nd largest selling energy drink after Red bull in the US. It has an incredible claw mark M logo on the can. One can of Monster contains about 160mg of caffeine. In my opinion, this is an average ideal caffeine amount, unlike Bang and Red bull, which is either high in caffeine (Bang) or low in caffeine (Red Bull).
If you decide to pick Monster for pulling an all-nighter, I would advise you to go with the sugar-free version as regular Monsters contain a high amount of sugar, which may lead to a dreadful sugar crash in the middle of the night. Absolute Zero and Zero Ultra are two sugar-free versions you can pick and see which one works best for you.
Red Bull
A standard 8.4 fl oz of Red Bull contains about 80mg of caffeine which is suitable for people that are sensitive to caffeine. It will provide you with the energy boost you need to stay awake. However, if you feel the need, you can have black or regular coffee with 50mg of caffeine to make up the night’s rest.
You should be aware that the regular version of Red Bull contains as much as 27g of sugar per can. I would recommend picking the Red Bull sugar-free version rather than the regular Red bull.
Bang Energy
Bang is high in caffeine content. Now, what’s a better drink to stay up all night than Bang with a whopping 300mg caffeine?
One can of Bang is enough for you to stay awake till morning. You can also take Bang in intervals to avoid too much caffeine in your body all at once.
The best part about Bang energy is that it is sugar-free, which means no worry about experiencing a dreadful sugar crash in the middle of the night.
As we know, caffeine is the primary source of energy, and that’s what keeps you up all night, but too much caffeine can also cause caffeine overdose and can make you feel anxious or restless.
So, it is best that you only consume Bang if you can handle that much caffeine and if you are sure it will not affect your next day’s energy levels.
How many energy drinks can you have in one day?
It’s best to consume no more than 16 ounces (473ml) of a standard can of energy drink per day to avoid any side effects of energy drinks.
Experts recommend one can per day for adults because energy drinks are loaded with synthetic caffeine, lots of sugar, and other unhealthy ingredients. Pregnant women and children below the age of 12 should not consume them.
How long will the effects of energy drinks last?
The effect of a standard size energy drink lasts for at least 2 to 3 hours.
Most energy drinks kick into your system within 15 minutes of consumption. Some take 45 minutes to reach peak level, and almost all of them keep you alert and awake for a maximum of 3 to 4 hours after that effect of energy drink starts to wear off.
Energy drink’s main ingredient that helps you stay awake is caffeine. You can expect that if you consume an energy drink at 10 am, the caffeine will stay in your body for up to the next eleven to twelve hours.
That means a can of energy drink will be enough for you to put all-nighter.
What Happens When You Drink Too Many Energy Drinks?
Energy drinks are full of sugar and caffeine. Overconsumption of these beverages can have serious side effects on your health including:
- Restlessness and instability.
- Sleeplessness.
- Headaches.
- Dizziness.
- Rapid or irregular heart rhythm.
- Dehydration.
- Nervousness.
There are many other symptoms that you can experience and to prevent these side effects, you should limit your caffeine as much as possible.
Is it okay to put all-nighter with energy drinks?
Consuming energy drinks to stay up all night is not a good idea. The reason is that too much caffeine right before bed can disturb and reduce your total sleep time.
Overconsumption of caffeine in the afternoon or at night can also affect the deep sleep you enjoy. Here’s a study that shows that consuming caffeine 6 hours before bed decreases your total sleep time by one hour.
When you consume energy drinks to stay awake for one night, it automatically disturbs your regular sleep routine.
It’s better not to consume caffeine at night or afternoon simply because it can disturb your body clock.
There are some other ways you can try instead, such as:
- Take your caffeine beverage 5 to 6 hours before bedtime
- Take half a can of energy drink for an all-nighter and only consume the half if you find the need.
- Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated
- Take a 10-minute break after every hour to refresh your mind.
Have a quick look at this video to see what happens to our body when we are sleep deprived:
The downside of consuming energy drinks to stay up all night
There is no doubt that an energy drink improves cognitive function for up to 5 hours and provides you with the right energy boost for the task at hand.
But are these benefits worth the night sleep you enjoy that is important for your body clock as well?
Studies have seen that taking energy drinks in unhealthy amounts can lead to cardiovascular problems, can damage your teeth, increase headaches, and the worse thing, it can cause ongoing insomnia.
It can create a destructive cycle. When you consume energy drinks to stay up all night, it will make it harder for you to sleep, eventually leading to morning grogginess. And to wear off the morning lethargy, you will feel the need for more caffeine-this way, your cycle of consuming too much caffeine and sugar starts. This addiction can cause high blood pressure, caffeine crash or overdose, and type 2 diabetes.
Energy drinks are also linked with heart issues. Here, a study shows that an increase in the stress hormone norepinephrine due to increased blood pressure can make healthy adults more likely to develop cardiovascular problems.
Wrapping Up
Any energy drink with a moderate amount of caffeine and low sugar level is best for pulling an all-nighter.
Here are my top three picks:
- Monster
- Red Bull
- Bang
And the list doesn’t end here. It depends on your personal preference and your caffeine sensitivity. If you want to try out other brands, you can, but check their sugar and caffeine content first. I personally don’t recommend using energy drinks to pull an all-nighter as nothing can beat a good night’s rest. But I understand that sometimes you’ve gotta burn the midnight oil and stay past your self-appointed bedtime.
In cases like that, energy drinks can be of huge help. As long as you stay within the recommended guidelines and don’t make it a habit, you should be safe.
Now grab yourself a can of energy drink and get the work done.
