Hydration for the Body

When a human body is sufficiently hydrated, alertness level, focus level, mental awareness, and energy levels can perform at its optimal potential. Some might think it is because of other reasons such as a good night sleep, an event which result in positive mood that happened earlier in the day, or it might just be due to having a good day at work. On those days, a person can easily perform well.

Evidence shows that the main contributor to this enhanced performance is depending on the state of hydration. Dehydration can easily be identified as it has a few symptoms that are hard to ignore. The clear sign of dehydration can be seen in a person’s reduced performance. But other causes may also contribute to this situation. Understanding the effects that it can have on the safety, health, and performance of the employee is crucial in maintaining a safe and productive workplace.

According to a Textbook of Medical Physiology, the total amount of water in a man of average weight (70kg) is approximately 40 litres, average 60% of his total body weight. So, losing an amount of water can have some effects on a person. Dehydration occurs when you lost more fluid than the amount that you take. Water is normally lost through urination, respiration and sweating. The amount of fluid loss elevates if it involves a case of vomiting or diarrhea.

Dehydration can have a big impact on a person’s physical and mental performance. Working in risk involved environment or tools with potential hazards require a big amount of concentration. So if you are dehydrated, ability to focus on the work deteriorates, precision related task and mentally required task greatly decreased.

Providing employees with the suitable facilities was proven to reduce such situation from occurring. Signs and symptoms of dehydration can easily be spotted if we know what to look for. Examples are fatigue, dry lips, feeling light headed, skin is dry, feeling thirsty and so much more. If you have signs or symptoms, it is advised to get some water immediately and seek medical assistance if needed. It was believed that dehydration can cause chronic health related disease such as kidney stones, urinary tract infection, heart disease and gallstones. There is no doubt that water is essential in our daily life.

Prevention is better than cure. If employees have easy access to water, they can maintain their hydration level and stay hydrated while working. For workers that travel from one location to another for their work, there are always ways for them to replenish their thirst. Employers can provide them with sufficient drinking water depending on the number of workers. One example is providing them with a box of mineral water. It is important that employees are advised to drink water often whenever they needed to. Employees are encouraged to bring their own water to the workplace and this can be lead as a good non-verbal example by making staying hydrated a habit.

Productivity depends on the performance of the work force. By maintaining their degree of performance at the workplace, additional investment may be required by providing such facilities to the workers. But in long term, it was proven to be an inexpensive way to enhance the performance and productivity of any organization.