Are you drinking enough at work?
Are you frowning at your screen with a headache? Are you yawning more than once or twice in your work day? Or more importantly, are you staying adequately hydrated at work? You may not understand the connection between these questions, but the link between hydration, mood, and workplace performance is an important one.
How much water should I be drinking at work?
The average worker in the UK, works for 37.5 hours per week. This means that, on average, 33% of our working hours are spent at work. On a weekday, this is 50% of our waking weekly hours. With this in mind, we have a question for you – are you drinking 50% of your daily water intake at work? On average, we should be drinking around eight glasses of water a day, more if it is a particularly warm day, or we are undertaking energetic activity. This means that, in an average working day, we should be drinking at least four glasses of water.
There are many benefits to remaining adequately hydrated whilst at work, firstly, it can provide a huge productivity boost. Indeed, in a recent study, the University of Connecticut (2010), found that even a dehydration level of 1-2% causes a decrease in cognitive function. When you are fully hydrated, your mind is increasingly alert and focused. Proper hydration increases the sympathetic nervous system (Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, 2010). This nifty system is responsible for your ‘Fight or Flight System’, the mechanisms which negotiates how we respond to situations, whether we ‘fight’ problems, or run away from them in ‘flight’.
Mix it up
Our daily hydration comes from a wide range of sources, not just water. You can also find your workplace hydration in hot drinks. A hot coffee in the morning goes a long way to boosting your productivity, and hydration levels! Don’t be afraid to experiment with the humble glass of water. Squash, herbal tea bags, and vitamin tablets are all easy and cost effective methods to infuse water with a touch of flavour. However, be careful to ensure that you’re not adding excess amounts of sugar or calories with your alternative hydration, a recent study by Action on Sugar (http://www.actiononsugar.org/) , found that 79% of the sweetened drinks it reviewed contained six or more teaspoons of sugar per 330ml.
A great alternative to fizzy drinks is sparkling water, a drink that provides the ‘fizz’ of carbonated beverages, with none of the sugar or calories. Sparkling water is created when high gas pressure and low temperature causes carbon to dissolve in water, when the temperature is raised or the pressure is reduced (such as the opening of a can), carbon dioxide escapes from the water in the form of bubbles.
However you hydrate, the most important thing is to make sure to do it! Equip your workplace with a water dispenser, to provide an accessible, easy to use, source of hydration. Whether you favour sparkling, chilled, ambient, or hot water, you can find the ideal water dispenser for your workplace in our specifier here.
