Coffee Or Energy Drinks: Which Drink Do People Reach For To Give Them Energy?

While some people may turn to exercise, breathwork, or a quick cat nap for a fast-acting energy boost during the day, many others reach for a beverage to put a little pep back in their step. Of course, coffee and energy drinks are popular choices for those seeking a dose of caffeine, yet other people’s preferred energy-boosting drink may contain no caffeine whatsoever.

As many of us can probably attest, you don’t have to be a high-performing athlete to feel your energy levels slowly draining throughout the day. Rather, it’s also easy to feel mentally and physically exhausted after a long day spent sitting down while at work too. To figure out which drink people most often reach for to give them a much-needed jolt of energy, we asked 612 readers of Health Digest to cast their vote for one out of five popular drink options. Answer choices varied from coffee to tea, lemon water, and everything in between. Here are the answers that came out on top amongst survey respondents.

The answer with the fewest number of selections was green juice. With just 25 votes, 4.08% of respondents selected this answer option. With more than double the votes, however, 55 people selected lemon water as their preferred energy-boosting beverage. This answer made up nearly 9% of the total survey answers submitted. Although lemon water is void of caffeine, LifeQuest Nursing Center reports that the potassium found in lemons supports healthy nerve and brain function, which may leave one feeling more alert.

Once again, with nearly double the votes was tea in third place with 112 answer selections. 18.3% of survey respondents reported this beverage as their favorite energy-boosting drink. In the end, the top two answer choices amongst respondents came out to be energy drinks and coffee. Between the two, however, energy drinks came in second place with 133 answer selections, making up 21.73% of the total votes. In first place, earning 287 answer selections, 46.9% of respondents said that they opt for coffee when in need of a little extra energy. Because energy drinks and coffee contain higher levels of caffeine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reminds consumers that it’s best to consume no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine daily.