We depend on water to survive. All the cells, tissues and organs in the body need water to function properly. Water helps in regulating the temperature of our body, eliminating waste and toxins, lubricating the joints and muscles for ease of movement, and allowing easy digestion of food amongst many other things.
However, a lot of water is used in these processes, and it gets lost through sweat, urine and even more so while breathing. This makes it essential for us to drink enough water to maintain a good level and prevent dehydration. Failure to replenish the depleting water levels in the body and getting dehydrated can cause multiple other problems including headaches, cramps, dizziness, low energy, constipation and even heat stroke.
Staying hydrated is even more important when you are a working professional. Constant work demands at the office require you to perform at your maximum capacity throughout the day. Although, if you don’t drink sufficient water, then you will find it hard to concentrate, you will have low energy and will feel lethargic which will directly impact your performance, and will eventually hinder your growth.
What can be done to ensure you stay hydrated at work and deliver your best? Is there any other alternative to water that you can try to maintain a good hydration for longer periods? Does diet too have an impact on your hydration? Are energy drinks a good alternative for water at the workplace?
Workplace and Dehydration – What’s the Connection?
Dehydration is very common at workplaces and offices. Although workers need to maintain their hydration levels to be able to perform at their best, in office conditions, it is quite common for workers to get dehydrated. The most common reasons for this include:
- Workers could have a very busy and gruesome schedule, and they often forget to drink water from time to time throughout the day.
- Workers are under constant stress and pressure in the office environment. Sweating is a direct response of the body to stress, and it results in excessive fluid loss and dehydration.
- It is common for most workers to consume caffeine to stay focused and improve their concentration. Yet, caffeine has a diuretic effect that increases urination and the body tends to release its fluids quickly, leading to dehydration.
- Most workers in an office environment work in an air-conditioned atmosphere. The humidity in such an environment is quite low, drying out the natural moisture of the air. Dry air generally causes dehydration.
All these factors contribute to high dehydration levels in offices and workplaces, which can have a direct impact on the performances of all employees. This is why employees are looking for ways to stay hydrated for longer. While some opt to drink more water, others look for different ways to get instant energy.
Are Energy Drinks A Better Alternative to Water to Keep Yourself Hydrated at Work?
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Many people drink energy drinks instead of water to stay hydrated and have full energy during work. Yes, it is a fact that energy drinks can give you an immediate boost when you are feeling low and lethargic. They can even increase your alertness and concentration levels as they have caffeine as an ingredient. Yet, we can confidently say that these drinks cannot replace water. They come with a lot of side effects which everyone should be aware of. Some of these side effects are:
Anxiety and Stress
Energy Drinks have excessive amounts of caffeine. Consuming so much caffeine regularly can result in nervousness, restlessness, anxiety, stress and even insomnia. This can have a severely negative impact on your performance at work.
Increased Cardiovascular Risk
High amounts of caffeine in energy drinks can lead to an increase in blood pressure. If consumed regularly over a long period, this increases the risk of having a heart attack or a cardiac arrest.
Increased Risk of Type II Diabetes
Most Energy Drinks have sweeteners and are excessive amounts of sugar. Consuming such large amounts of sugar can increase the risk of type II diabetes. A study even confirmed this claim, as a review of 310,819 people saw an astonishing 26% of people having more risk of type II diabetes vs those who didn’t consume sugar-sweetened energy drinks.
Abnormal Weight Gain
Energy drinks usually have high-calorie and high sugar content. A regular-sized can of an energy drink has an estimated 220 calories and around 27 grams of sugar. This is a very high amount of sugar and can make you gain excessive weight in a short time.
Can Water Fulfill Your Workplace Hydration Needs?
Water can be very efficient in fulfilling your workplace hydration needs. Whether you want a quick energy boost or want to increase your energy levels, you can achieve it all just by drinking water regularly. Some of the advantages of water that can help you at your workplace include:
Increases Energy
Although it does not have caffeine to give you a quick energy boost, water does indeed increase your energy levels, albeit a bit slowly. Most of the body and even the brain is just water, so whenever you restore the water that has been lost, you immediately feel replenished, fresh and with more energy.
Keeps You Healthy
Water flushes out toxins from the body and it regulates the temperature. It also strengthens our immune system and allows it to work at its best. When your body is detoxified and your immune system is working fine, there are fewer chances for foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria to cause infections, resulting in better health. When you are healthy, you will take fewer time-offs and leaves and will be able to work at your full potential.
Improves Your Mood
It has been established that drinking water can improve your mood considerably. It is much better than consuming caffeine or energy drinks which can make you feel stressed and have anxiety. Moreover, when you are happy, you are motivated to do your best at work and achieve your goals. This eventually translates into organizational success and career growth.
Helps in Managing Weight
Drinking enough water in a day can promote weight loss. Losing weight and staying fit and in shape can boost your self-esteem and confidence. When you are confident about yourself, it reflects in the work you do. Self confidence can easily translate into career success over time.
Although water has multiple benefits, it is not the most tasteful drink in the world. Also, you are required to drink it again and again, which can be challenging under pressure situations in a work environment. The experts at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommend drinking at least about 3.7 liters of water for men and 2.7 liters for women a day. How can you then get the required amount of water intake while working?
Alternatives to Water for Keeping You Hydrated While Working
If you forget to drink water consistently at work or struggle to reach the desired hydration levels, then there are a couple of alternatives that you can try. Remember, you still have to drink as much water as you can, but to make up for the remaining hydration levels if you are not able to drink enough, you can try:
Making Changes To Your Diet
You can include food with high water content in your diet to keep yourself hydrated and energized. Most fruits and vegetables are high in water content. Some of them have specifically high water content, such as:
Watermelon – 95%
Lettuce – 96%
Tomato – 95%
Broccoli – 89%
Cucumber – 96%
Besides these, many other fruits and vegetables including strawberries, cantaloupe, peaches, oranges, zucchini, celery, bell peppers, cauliflower, cabbage, grapefruit and coconut are rich in water content as well. By including these in your diet, you can not only up your hydration levels, but derive various other health benefits as well. All these are extremely rich in nutrients, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants that can improve your health and strengthen you mentally to face all the challenges while working.
Trying Alkaline Water
Alkaline Water refers to water that has a higher pH level than regular water. Alkaline Water generally measures above a 7 on the pH scale and has various other benefits when compared to regular water. Alkaline Water gets easily absorbed by the cells in the body and keeps you hydrated for longer periods, which is the need of the hour at a workplace. It also has a crisp taste, which is very addictive and makes you want to drink more.
Additionally, Alkaline Water has multiple health benefits. It restores the pH balance of your gut and keeps it healthy, preventing diseases such as acid reflux, heartburn, acidity, headaches, nausea, GERD amongst others. It is filled with antioxidants that again contribute towards your overall well being.
If you want to drink alkaline water while at work, then you can try the DYLN Bottle. It comes with a VitaBead Diffuser installed at the bottom that enhances regular water into alkaline water within minutes. It comes in various color and size options and can be easily by your side all day. This will remind you to drink water timely, keep you hydrated for longer periods and provide you the energy boost you require to work at your optimum capabilities.
Final Words
Water is very important for us to function properly, but it can be a daunting challenge while working to keep a check on your water consumption and ensure that you drink the required amount of water to stay hydrated.
Due to various factors, it is common for office employees to get dehydrated, and this directly leads to laziness and a lethargic atmosphere. Employees do not work at their best and become error-prone. Many go for shortcuts such as energy drinks, and though they work well initially, providing the required energy boost, they come with various side-effects that can be catastrophic for our bodies.
By sticking to water and fulfilling the daily requirements with additional changes in diet and drinking alkaline water, you can easily keep yourself hydrated, energized, motivated and work at your fullest strength that allows you to achieve personal and organizational success and eventual growth in your career and life.
