It is well known that energy drinks (and caffeine in general) are closely related to eSports. Many very successful gamers use them to increase their performance. Caffeine is a stimulative substance, and for some people, it can be an incredible booster. If you’ve ever tried coffee, you know how energized you get after drinking it. Or at least most people do. Energy drinks contain caffeine, but also other stimulants such as taurine.
They are sweet, have a nice taste, and are also highly effective, which is the main reason why people use them while studying, working, or gaming. Some of the top gamers drink energy drinks and believe in their magic powers. But the main question is are energy drinks really the secret to eSports success?
Caffeine
Caffeine can be found in different sources. Some of them are coffee, tea, sodas, and energy drinks. People drink them for enjoyment, but also in order to boost their performance in many different areas. Caffeine has stimulating properties and in the body, it is a substrate for adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a substance present in our central nervous system. It informs our body that it is tired and prevents it from becoming too energized. In general, it has opposite effects compared to caffeine.
When we take a sip of an energy drink or a coffee, caffeine gets absorbed into the circulation and travels through the bloodstream to the brain. There it connects to adenosine receptors and prevents adenosine from exerting its effects, which means that we don’t feel tired anymore. By blocking the adenosine, caffeine makes the adrenaline level to rise, so we feel stimulated and have much more energy.
Caffeine can increase your focus and help you stay at the top of your game for a longer time. In eSports, having high concentration really matters since you need to be able to notice crucial information the moment it shows on the screen. Losing your focus can lead to making stupid mistakes and decrease your performance. Caffeine helps you to be more accurate and level up your game. On the other hand, it provides more energy, so you can react much faster.
Being quick is essential in most games, and making the right move fast enough can lead to success. This applies not only to the physical aspect but also to the thinking speed. When you find yourself in a difficult situation during the game, you can think both clearer and faster and make the best decision. Caffeine can also improve your mental clarity, as well as help you with your memory and ability to reason. All of these effects of caffeine are very significant in eSports and can boost overall gaming performance.
On the other hand, caffeine has side effects that become more visible the more caffeine you ingest. After taking too much caffeine, you may notice your heart beating faster, and your blood pressure is rising. The downside of this stimulant is that it draws energy from your body. And once all the energy is used, you need to get some sleep and regenerate to be able to proceed. Most gamers refuse to stop playing at a certain moment, so they continue with caffeine ingestion.
Too much of it can also cause anxiety and nervousness. At one point, your focus starts to decrease, and you can even experience involuntary movements of your body parts, which is one of the worst things in the gaming and can even cost you success. Eventually, it can cause bad sleep and insomnia, which will surely negatively affect your gaming performance since you need energy and focus to do everything right.
Taurine
Another stimulant often present in energy drinks is taurine. It is an amino acid that can also be synthesized in our bodies in small amounts. In the central nervous system, it acts as a neurotransmitter. Some studies suggest that taurine can positively impact mental performance. In energy drinks, taurine is always combined with caffeine, so these two ingredients together can potentially be very beneficial. However, further research is needed to confirm these speculations.
L-theanine
L-theanine is another amino acid that can be found in some energy drinks. It contributes to mental clarity and brain focus, but in a different way compared to caffeine and taurine. L-theanine has calming properties that help with increasing concentration.
It helps you to improve your memory, and maintain your alertness and top gaming form, while it won’t negatively affect your motor skills and cause insomnia. We could say it supports desired caffeine effects and removes its side effects when combined with the caffeine in energy drinks. You will get the best from both worlds, while you won’t experience tachycardia, high blood pressure, anxiety, and bad sleep.
So, can we conclude that energy drinks are the secret to eSports success?
The caffeine in energy drinks can significantly improve your gaming performance and lead to eSports success. You have more energy, you’re thinking fast and feeling very energized, which are all good effects. However, it is crucial to drink energy drinks in a moderate amount. Too many energy drinks can cause a drop in concentration and lead to poor performance. Another option you should consider is choosing energy drinks with L-theanine that can reduce the negative sides of caffeine while preserving all desired effects.
On Latestfuels.com, you can find the five best gaming drinks for energy and focus and try out some of them to see if you’ll have more success in eSports.
Conclusion
Energy drinks are very popular in the gaming industry. Some of the top gamers drink caffeine loaded drinks to boost their performance. The reason is that energy drinks contain stimulative substances, such as caffeine and taurine. Caffeine can contribute to optimal brain performance and mental clarity, and significantly shorten your reaction time, which is the desired effect in competitive gaming.
However, if you overload yourself with caffeine, after a while you’ll start noticing side effects that can ruin your performance and lead to failure. Always try to drink a moderate amount of energy drinks and try to choose the ones with L-theanine, which has the potential to reduce negative caffeine effects.