Did you know that your team’s hydration can impact productivity and outcomes?
Side effects of dehydration can include loss of concentration, lower energy, and overall reduced brain function.
Workers should drink water every 15 minutes to appropriately replace lost fluids, according to the CDC.
The human body is approximately 70% water, with some organs containing even higher rations:
- 90% of the mass of your lungs
- 85% of your blood
- 80% of your skin’s mass
- 75% of your brain’s compositions
- 75% of your muscles
- 24% of human bones
The importance of hydration to our bodies cannot be denied!
Hydration has even been shown to be affiliated with mood regulation.
According to OSHA, those most at risk of dehydration are employees:
- Who are directly under the sun
- Who are working for hours at a time
- Who are wearing PPE
It is no longer only healthcare workers familiar with PPE use during the workday; encourage your masked workers to take frequent private water breaks throughout shifts.
Look out for these warning signs of dehydration in yourself and your team:
- Trouble focusing
- Excessive fatigue
- Dry mouth
- Extreme thirst
- Sunken eyes
- Darkly colored urine
- Rapid heartbeat
Plan to prevent dehydration by taking these steps:
- Keep it with you: Make sure to have a refillable cup or container of water by your desk (covered with a lid near electronics!) – this will make “out of sight, out of mind” an excuse of the past.
- Infuse it: If drinking water isn’t in your routine partially due to taste, spruce it up! Lemon and lime wedges are well known, but have you tried rosemary infused water? Add a sprig directly or make your own infused ice with fresh herbs, an ice tray, and a little time. What a game-changer!
- Mix it up: Tea and coffee provide never-ending combinations for increasing your water intake in fun and new ways. Check out caffeinated tea options for the morning, like chai and breakfast blends, if you’re looking to transition away from coffee. Monitor yourself to see if too much caffeine makes you feel more stimulated or anxious throughout the day. A nice herbal tea like chamomile or peppermint can hit the spot in the afternoon, with no worries about feeling a jolt.
- Conquer it: Office decisionmakers in shared workspaces can encourage hydration through installing a water cooler, providing plenty of tea, coffee, and cup options in shared breakroom areas, and supporting taking time during the workday to tend to selfcare needs, like hydration.