Having a bad day? Feeling a bit out of sorts? Everything just working on your nerves? This might be due to the fact that you are dehydrated.
While the debate about how much water one actually needs to drink every day continues, the fact that staying hydrated is important for you to function at your optimum best is incontrovertible.
According to a study undertaken by the University of Connecticut’s Human Performance Laboratory, even a loss of 1.5% of bodily fluids, which is considered to induce mild dehydration, is sufficient to alter one’s mood and energy levels. It also led to fatigue, headaches, trouble in concentrating, anxiety and memory lapses.
Women are more easily affected by dehydration than men are, according to Harris Lieberman, one of the studies’ co-authors. Females found it more difficult to complete tasks, but did not suffer any cognitive ability, according to the study.
The problem for most of us is that by the time we feel thirsty, we are already about 2% dehydrated, so we may be living in a semi-permanent funk. One way to avoid this is to ensure that we drink water regularly, not only when we become thirst.
Taking the above into consideration, it makes sense that investing in an office water cooler will make your office a happier place in which to work, as staff will be hydrated at all times. Office water coolers make it easy for anyone to access water at any time, and because the water is chilled and tastes better than tap water, they will drink it more often.
Office water coolers also have the added benefit that employees like to gather around them to have a quick break and a chat whilst rehydrating. This is good for office morale, as many jokes and funny stories tend to be told around the office cooler.
So, the next time you feel as though you want to bite off the head of anyone who looks at you, don’t feel bad, just make a trip to the office water cooler and get yourself a nice cool drink of water.
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