Stay Hydrated – Especially at work
You likely are not drinking enough water to stay hydrated, but you knew that already. What you might not know is that it is affecting your performance at work. The average person will spend around 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime.
Only 30% of Americans drink the recommended 10 cups of water daily. Since they are so busy with work, employees often do not identify the signs of dehydration.
Signs of dehydration include irritability, rapid heart rate, increased breathing, thirstiness, headaches, burning during urination, dry mouth, and tiredness.
It is incredibly easy to avoid drinking enough water when we focus on getting work done or too busy to grab a glass of water. Many of us turn to tea or coffee to stay alert during the day to help to stay hydrated.
Yet this is counteractive due to their diuretic effects – in other words, they increase urination, which can easily lead to dehydration.
Benefits of Drinking Water At Work and Stay Hydrated
- Increases Energy Levels: The flow of nutrients decreases to all body parts, just like it does to your brain.Apart from being less alert, you feel lethargic and easily irritable. A change in the project will feel like the impossible task ever, ultimately decreasing productivity levels.
- Improves Concentration: Water is a part of our body’s means of transporting essential nutrients to all the places in your body that need them. Water aids our brain’s function and concentration by giving it the electrical energy it needs to perform optimally.
- Decreases Stress Levels: When you are dehydrated, your blood vessels constrict, which leads to increased stress levels. The chances of messing up the task than completing it are a lot higher.Also, water helps to flush out toxins, some of which are responsible for high stress. Sweet beverages like sodas or fruit juices can actually increase your stress after the sugar high wears off.
- Helps You Stay on Track with Your Diet: The stimuli for thirst and hunger are the same, so it is easy to confuse the two. If you are feeling hungry, first drink a tall glass of water and wait for 10 minutes. If you still feel hungry, then grab something healthy or one slice of pizza.
- Natural Headache Remedy: Stress leads to headaches. If you get frequent headaches, it might be because you are dehydrated all the time. The next time you get a headache, make sure if you drink a whole glass of water.If headaches are common, it’s best to see a doctor, but at least get hydrated. You are doing a lot more harm to your body than you think you realize by not being hydrated. Dehydration is also the reason for cramps and sprains.Try this next time you have cramps – mix a pinch of salt with water and drink it up. It’s a remedy that has worked for a lot of people.
- Better Mood: When your body is well-hydrated and healthy, you are more likely to feel better, hopefully making you less irritable. Irritability is a common sign of dehydration and can quickly put you in a bad mood.If you have had a lot of alcohol, mix unsweetened soda water with ice and lemon before going to bed to avoid a hangover. You can drink the same mix in the morning afterward to immediately reduce any symptoms.
- Money Saver: Water is a lot cheaper than flavored fruit or sports drinks, soda, or coffee.
