It's that time of year again -- not March Madness -- but semester midterms.

Midterms are quickly approaching and most students need more hours in the day to go to class, write term papers, study and maintain a social life.

As adding hours to the day is impossible, some students turn to energy drinks to give them an extra edge to achieve academic success without constantly pulling all nighters.

Walking through the HUB-Robeson Center, it is obvious that students feel the demands and pressures of college life as they are sipping on coffee and Red Bulls.

Some students rely on caffeine to make it through an exam after studying all night.

Ben Woika (freshman-engineering) said he likes to have caffeinated energy drinks about an hour before he has an exam.

"When I drink them, I feel more awake," he said.

Woika said when he finishes a test, a couple of hours later he feels a significant crash.

This crash will not deter him from drinking the energy boosters though, he said.

"They help unlock parts of my mind during the exam and let me concentrate harder," Woika said.

What some students do not understand is that these energy drinks can have harmful effects on the body.

Many students at the bars may buy the popular drink Red Bull and vodka.

Dan Ressegiue (senior-psychology) said he drinks these because the Red Bull covers the taste of the vodka.

The caffeine in the Red Bull gives you an extra push, he said.

Peter Bordi, Health and Human Development professor, said students do not realize that Red Bull stimulates the body and alcohol does the exact opposite, depressing the central nervous system.

The caffeine keeps the students from feeling as intoxicated as they really are.

Also, students may not think about the consequences of coupling caffeine consumption with alcohol and medications, he added.

Ressegiue has had pressure in his chest while drinking Red Bull and vodka, but he does not believe it is serious because it is not major pain, he said.

Red Bull enhances hangovers because, like alcohol, caffeine is a diuretic and dehydrates the body.

This is also the reason caffeinated energy drinks should never be consumed before physical activity, otherwise severe dehydration could result.

Excessive caffeine has been linked to complications like interrupted sleep, headache, anxiety and further problems like increased heart rate and blood pressure.

According to the American Dietetic Association, the average person should not have more than 300 mg of caffeine a day. Rockstar and Amp have 75 mg of caffeine per 8 ounces; however, Rockstar is only sold in 16-ounce cans, meaning the whole can contains 150 mg of caffeine.

An 8-ounce cup of black coffee has between 100 mg to 150 mg of caffeine.

If a student has two cups of coffee in the morning, he or she is fulfilling the maximum recommended amount of caffeine for the rest of the day.

If the student has a cup of coffee and a Rockstar energy drink, the maximum is also reached.

Daily use of even low doses of about 100 mg of caffeine a day can result in physical dependence, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Web site.

If an addicted person stops drinking caffeine, it is possible to suffer from withdrawal symptoms such as headache, fatigue, depressed mood and difficulty concentrating.

The FDA recommends a maximum caffeine concentration of 65 mg per 12 ounces of cola.

However, it does not regulate caffeine content of these drinks.

The FDA requires companies to disclose the amount of caffeine in a drink.

However, the FDA does not mandate the amount of caffeine to be included on labeling for energy drinks and cold coffee drinks.