Zip Water's Ultimate Guide
to Hydration
THE ZIP WATER HYDRATION GUIDE
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Ultimate Guide
to Hydration here
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Water is the
elixir of life
It’s a phrase we’ve all heard. But, so often, we take water for granted; we turn on a tap and it’s, well, there. Since our pre-human history, water has been a necessary element for existence. We’re 60 per cent water, and organs like the brain and heart are 73 per cent water – so it’s safe to say that we have an uncanny affinity with H20.
70%
The NHS recommends 1.9 litres or at least 6-8 glasses of water every day to maintain a healthy fluid balance.
Yet, according to a survey of 2,000 UK residents, 70 per cent of people often go 7 or more hours without drinking a glass of water. When asked why, two-thirds of people cited being ‘too busy’ during the working day.
Consequently, dehydration can be a killer. It’s serious, yes, but the remedy is ever so simple: drink water. But current research indicates we’re not drinking enough.
In this guide, we’ll cover all things H20, answer your frequently asked questions, and offer essential tips for keeping your workplace hydrated.
As experts in all things hydration, we’re on a mission to get people drinking more water – to improve their health, happiness, and sense of wellbeing.
What is dehydration?
By learning about them, we can begin to recognise the beginnings of dehydration and take early action to not only improve our health but also facilitate thousands of bodily processes that rely on water.
While dehydration can be serious, many milder symptoms will set in first before anything extreme happens.
Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluids than it takes in and, as a result, fails to function properly. As a species, we’re reliant on water; and that means we’re incredibly sensitive to acute changes in fluid levels and hydration.
A 1 per cent decrease in hydration will trigger the bodily sensation of thirst.
So, what actually is dehydration?
Mild dehydration elicits a number of symptoms. Specialised neurons (messenger cells that send important signals through the body) detect a negative shift in fluid balance and trigger a series of biological mechanisms to generate discomfort.
Although this makes it difficult to perform tasks, these uncomfortable feelings are meant to motivate us to consume water.
+ Dry mouth, lips, and tongue
+ Headache
+ Dark yellow pee that has a strong smell
+ Peeing less often than normal
+ Sunken eyes
+ Loss of appetite
+ Nausea
+ Feeling dizzy, confused, or lightheaded
+ Fatigue or tiredness
+ Seizures or convulsions
Symptoms of dehydration:
Diabetes
Heatstroke
High Temperature
Too much alcohol
How to tell if you’re dehydrated
With any symptoms of dehydration, the first thing you should do is hydrate by drinking fluids. But how do you know if you’ve drunk enough?
Luckily, our bodies have a handy colour-coding system for the hydration scale - and, if you’ve not guessed already, yes it’s your urine!
Use the guide below to approximately determine how hydrated you are:
Although everyone is susceptible to dehydration, it can occur more easily in some people due to individual factors like illness or environmental factors like activity levels.
Although everyone is susceptible to dehydration, it can occur
more easily in some people due to individual factors like illness or environmental factors like activity levels.
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Excessive perspiration
Hot conditions
Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluids than it takes in and, as a result, fails to function properly. As a species, we’re reliant on water; and that means we’re incredibly sensitive to acute changes in fluid levels and hydration.
During challenging or athletic events, from a 100m sprint to a session of mixed martial arts, you can lose up to 10 per cent of your total body weight – just from sweating.
Some medications can also make you urinate more frequently, leading to a higher risk of experiencing dehydration. Elderly people are also more vulnerable to dehydration since, as we age, we experience reductions in renal function and the sensation of thirst.
Always aim to be within the ‘healthy pee’ range. This is strong evidence of a good hydration level. Whereas, if your pee is dark in colour, then you need to increase your fluid intake throughout the day.
Dehydration at work
According to the Office for National Statistics, UK adults in full-time employment work 36.7 hours each week or 7.3 hours a day. That’s a significant proportion of our lives.
Under the UK’s Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, it’s a legal requirement for workplaces to provide “an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water” for all employees at all times. The regulation also states water access is to be clearly signposted for health and safety reasons.
Nevertheless, dehydration is still a huge issue at work; symptoms like low mood and poor concentration mean workers are more likely to make mistakes and find focusing a challenge.
As such, it’s important to reduce the chances of dehydration by encouraging your employees to drink the recommended 2 litres of water per day while at work. But how?
Skip to our downloadable guide with our five top tips for doing just that.
As we’ve discussed, on a macro level, water is essential for all life; but, on a micro level, it’s also necessary for a selection of bodily functions.
To begin with, water is the very first building material used when a cell is created. It’s the foundation for all that’s to come – and in that sense, it’s the foundation of you.
The benefits
of water and hydration
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Is water the only option
for staying hydrated?
It’s important to note that water improves hydration. Not just bottled mineral water or sparkling water or distilled water. Any kind of water will hydrate you, including tap water.
The main thing is that you’re consuming water, in one form or another, little and often, throughout the day.
Not everyone enjoys the taste of tap water – or even bottled water for that matter. In the aforementioned Britvic study, just 22.85 per cent of people said they loved the taste of water, while 80 per cent said they would normally opt for an alternative drink.
Celery
Tomatoes
Spinach
Mushrooms
Yellow melon
Blueberries
Sprouts
Apples
Oranges
Broccoli
91%
92%
93%
95%
95%
85%
86%
86%
86%
90%
Water rich foods
Did you know that cucumber is 96 per cent water?
Eating foods with a high water content is a great way to not only improve hydration but also take in essential vitamins and fibre.
How water filtration affects hydration
People often ask whether filtration affects hydration. Perhaps it’s because many find that filtered water tastes cleaner.
In our 0.2-micron MicroPurity filter systems, we combine carbon and sediment into one cartridge, which not only removes bacteria, microplastics, and contaminants from water but also up to 97 per cent of chlorine and 99.9 per cent of microbiological cysts.
By removing nasty contaminants, filtration systems give you better-tasting and smelling water.
So, does water filtration affect hydration? Yes… and no. It certainly does, but not in the way you might expect.
As mentioned earlier, water is water – whether it’s a glass with ice and a slice of lemon or a bowl of blueberries, it still has a hydrating effect.
No, filtered water does not hydrate you more; however, how hydrated we are is determined by the amount of water we consume. And this is the key: tap water is not hydrating if we don’t drink it; cucumber is not hydrating if we don’t eat it.
The most important aspect of hydration, one can argue, is the palatability and accessibility of water – in whatever form it might be. If you are encouraged to drink more water because it tastes and smells better, then you will be less likely to suffer from dehydration.
When we spoke with customers that had installed a HydroTap equipped with our MicroPurity filter, 80 per cent said they were drinking more water after installing the tap than before.
United Hospitals Bath found itself in a difficult situation.
While temperatures continued to rise, their Medical Assessment Unit (MAU Ward) countertop water boiler kept packing up and, when it did work, often dispensed unpalatable water.
After installing a Zip filtering tap, the MAU Ward noticed a positive impact on its patients. “When it comes to supporting patients with high temperatures, cooling from the core can help to bring the temperature down,” explains Kevin Ferguson, Assistant Practioner, MAU Ward.
Filtered water for hydration – a matter of taste?
“The hospital suffers from hard water… and the general feedback following installation is that water tastes better and we can see both patients and staff drinking more than they previously did. This increase in hydration levels is having a positive impact on the health of everyone.”
If workplace water tastes unpleasant, then it’s safe to assume people will consume less water. If people consume less water, then risks of dehydration increase.
With filtered water, then, it appears to be a matter of taste.
We’ve covered what dehydration is and the symptoms you can look out for, such as the colour of your urine, your mood, and your sense of balance. Hopefully, it’s now clear why hydration is so important for you and those you work with.
The answer to dehydration – drinking enough water – is simple, but as many of our customers and the NHS have pointed out, it’s easy to avoid.
To ensure your workforce stays hydrated, download our 5 top tips for hydration in the office.
Top 5 tips for
keeping employees hydrated in the office
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