What is Productivity and How Can Energy Drinks Help?

Everyone has a moment from time to time - or maybe several moments - where they are just not feeling very productive. Many factors that could be the possible culprit, and for whatever the reason, productivity levels have dropped.

If you're tempted to reach for a cold beverage or other item to possibly help rejuvenate your energy in cases like this, you’re experiencing an impulse common to today’s competitive, overworked workforce. Coffee, soda pop, cigarettes, and even prescription drugs all have seen usage as a pick-me-up - but what about energy drinks?

Productivity and Energy Drinks: Everything You Need To Know

The classic definition of productivity is “a way to measure efficiency.” In an economic context, productivity is how to measure the output that comes from units of input.

Farming is a good example: One acre of land that produces five pumpkins? That’s not very productive. But one acre of land that produces 5,000 pumpkins? Now that’s a much better return on your pumpkin planting!

But what exactly is productivity, and how do we calculate it in our daily lives? It is simple to produce theories and examples based on abstract units of work, or numbers or plants, but your life isn’t a managed supply chain.

Okay, so, what is productivity?

Productivity is simply getting the results you want with a reasonable amount of effort and minimum time. When you are trying to understand how to be productive, what you are really looking for is a way to achieve your goals without wasting time on things that aren’t conducive to that goal - and energy drinks can help you to do just that (in their own unique way).

Let’s talk about energy drinks for a minute.

 

What Are Energy Drinks?

Energy beverages are supposed to do just what the name implies - give you an extra burst of energy. But, as it turns out, most of that “energy” comes from two main ingredients: sugar and caffeine.

Sugar

Did you know that the body’s preferred source of fuel is glucose? Standard commercial energy drinks contain quite a bit of sugar, and therefore, “energy.

Sugar is known as a simple carbohydrate, and many exercise enthusiasts recommend a good dose of carbs for workouts lasting more than 60 minutes. However, too much sugar intake has been linked to diabetes, obesity, and can spike insulin levels, which often leads to a terrible “crash-like” feeling after about an hour or so.

Your standard convenience-store energy drink can have a whopping 63 grams of sugar, which is over two times the recommended daily sugar limit for adults.

Too much of anything is never a good thing, but this is especially true with sugar. In fact, too much of the stuff triggers imbalances in certain brain chemicals, which can lead to depression and unproductivity.

Caffeine

The next ingredient commonly found in energy drinks is caffeine.

Caffeine is a popular stimulant that works by blocking the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical involved in sleep. When caffeine blocks this chemical, it causes neurons in your brain to fire.

Thinking the body is in a state of emergency, your pituitary gland initiates the body’s “fight or flight” response by releasing adrenaline. This hormone makes your heart beat faster, and your eyes dilate. Additionally, it also causes your liver to release extra sugar into the bloodstream to be used for energy.

Caffeine also affects the levels of dopamine - a chemical in the brain’s pleasure center. All of these physical responses make you feel as though you have more energy to help keep you productive throughout the day.

So, do energy drinks improve productivity?

Ultimately, yes. The caffeine found in energy drinks has been proven to help improve productivity, but the sugar - not so much.

However, consuming too much caffeine can result in less productivity as this popular stimulant can disrupt your natural sleep pattern, preventing you from getting good quality shut-eye and being well-rested, which could lead to a steep decline in productivity the following day.

Therefore, consuming this popular stimulant in moderation is the key to productivity.

 

Here are some other benefits that caffeine can have on your health:

It Improves Mental Performance and Alertness: In low doses, caffeine is said to improve mental performance and alertness, which can help you to be more productive. The caveat, of course, is that this popular stimulant does not affect everyone the same exact way. Your personal response to caffeine could be vastly different from that of your bestie. Other factors in your personal response to caffeine include the dosage you consume, your age and weight, and even the quality of your sleep. You should be aware that you can build up a tolerance to caffeine over time, so one energy drink might not be enough to give you the same boost it used to.

It May Enhance Your Willpower: By now, it is a foregone conclusion that your willpower is often depleted throughout the day as you make stressful decisions. As it turns out, caffeine can strengthen your willpower and self-control, particularly when you are exhausted. Making a big decision when you’re tired is certainly not wise. You could end up compromising your core values, succumbing to pressures in negotiations, or taking on new projects at inappropriate times. Drinking caffeine beforehand, however, may help you stand your ground, be productive, and make better decisions.

It Can Help You Learn Faster: Believe it or not, it has been shown that just 200 mg of caffeine can help you identify phrases and words faster than you could do without caffeine. For those looking to improve productivity, a healthy energy drink just might be exactly what you need to help you learn faster and work harder.

What Are Healthy Energy Drinks?

By now, you know that the two primary ingredients found in energy drinks are caffeine and sugar. While sugar doesn’t necessarily do anything for your overall health or boost productivity, caffeine clearly can.

So, with that being said, are energy drinks without all the added sugar even an option?

Yes!

Although it is rare to find, there are energy drinks available on the market that don’t contain any added sugar, like Proper Wild.

Proper Wild’s clean, all-day energy shots are truly something remarkable. They have 2x more caffeine than a shot of espresso and 15x more L-theanine than a cup of green tea for focus and productivity, without the crash or sudden drop in productivity.

These tasty energy shots are like no other energy drink on the market, made with natural juices and absolutely nothing artificial for a clean, smooth, and natural taste - no junk guaranteed.

Energy drinks can help immensely to improve productivity, just be sure to stick with healthy options, like Proper Wild.

A Final Word

So, can energy drinks help boost productivity?

The answer is yes! However, not all energy beverages are created equal, so be diligent in your search!

Some energy drinks contain an excessive amount of sugar and a dangerously high amount of caffeine, which can do more harm than good. When searching for a way to improve productivity, look no further and give our clean, plant-based energy shots a try here at Proper Wild.

Our powerful, 100% plant-based energy shots will keep you productive, focused, and relaxed for hours. Give Proper Wild a try today!