Last updated on January 5, 2025
Question:
I have a random question I wanted to ask: Does tea or coffee stunt your growth if kids or teens drink it?
Answer:
Caffeine is an ingredient in tea, coffee, and many sodas that concern people. It does not have any direct effect on growth and development. If there is an impact, it is indirect, such as causing a person not to get a good night’s rest. A continual lack of quality sleep will impact a person’s growth and development. [Courtney Humphries, “Does caffeine really stunt adolescents’ growth?” Boston.com, October 11, 2010.]
Interference with sleep may be hard for a teenager to detect since growth causes both increased needs to sleep and odd sleeping schedules. I would suggest avoiding caffeinated drinks after dinner and not using caffeinated drinks to artificially keep you awake, such as trying to stay up to get a project done. If you are too tired to stay awake, you are better off getting the rest you need and starting again the next day.