Protect your Vocal Chords – Drink Water more
We know that our approach this #TalkLikeAPirateDay has been slightly tongue-in-cheek, but often here at AquAid, that’s how we rrrrrrrrollllll. Seriously though, our approach might be light-hearted but the truth of it is, in order for you to be able to look after your voice, you need to drink water more.
Because we may take the ability to speak as a given and a function that should just ‘work’, it’s easy to forget that, our vocal chords, like all other body parts, need proper hydration in order to function well.
A few factors that can negatively affect vocal chords:
Commuting and other daily physical activity makes us sweat. When we sweat, we lose water and may easily become dehydrated without realising we are.
External factors such as heat, humidity and dry air. Artificial air in any closed environment such as in airplanes or road vehicles as well as air-conditioning or heating can dry out your environment and you very easily.
Certain cold and allergy medications, including decongestants and antihistamines, have a drying effect to the body.
Another factor is the intake of dehydrating drinks such as coffee, black tea, other caffeinated drinks and alcohol.
Consider the following:
If you have a dry throat when it’s time for you to speak, you’re already dehydrated. According to an article by The Complete Vocal Coach, it ‘can take up to four hours for water to reach your vocal folds’. If your voice is your profession (and for millions of people, their voices are just that), it’s imperative that you take care of your vocal chords.
Rather sip water throughout the day, and don’t wait until you get thirsty. This means an average of 10 glasses of water per day for men and around 8 glasses per day for women.
If you’re unsure about how much water you should be drinking per day, based on your weight and activity levels, refer to this useful guide at the AquAid website.
How to protect your Mission Control – how hydration can help reduce migraines
It’s #MigraineWeek this week and if you have ever experienced a migraine, your blood vessels are probably constricting already. This blogger didn’t experience a migraine until well into adulthood and thought they might be the stuff of legends, that is until she had one.
Migraines affects 1 in every 7 adults globally, according to the World Health Organization and 85 percent of sufferers are female according to the Migraine Research Foundation.
What is a migraine?
According to the NHS, the exact cause of migraines is unknown, but they’re thought to be the result of abnormal brain activity temporarily affecting nerve signals, chemicals and blood vessels in the brain. There is evidence that fluctuations in oestrogen levels can be a migraine trigger, which would explain in part why more women than men experience this condition, however there are a number of other factors that can trigger those more prone to this condition.
What triggers migraines?
There are a number of triggers, including emotional: stress, shock and depression amongst others; physical: poor posture or neck and shoulder tension; dietary: such as dehydration, caffeine and some specific foods such as chocolate and citrus fruit and finally environmental: flickering screens, bright lights or loud noises.
Can they be cured?
Although there currently isn’t a cure for migraines, there is medication available that can help reduce the severity and propensity of these attacks.
Does drinking water more really help?
Absolutely. Considering that our physical make-up is around 70% water, it’s clear that our bodies need the hydration in order to function properly and our brain is no exception. In a previous blog we’ve referred to the importance of keeping our brain adequately hydrated.
What else can you do to reduce migraines?
As much as we all enjoy our caffeine intake, too much coffee, tea or high caffeine content drinks can have an adverse effect on our central nervous system, so if you are prone to migraines, it might be an idea to reduce the amount of caffeine drinks and replace these with water.
Drinking water more may not solve your experiencing migraines, but it can certainly help reduce the frequency.
If there is a shortage of drinking water stations at your premises – contact us at AquAid. We will always give you the best advice about which water cooler is the right fit for your premises, whether at home, work or at school.
Swiis partners with AquAid to build a safe water source for a community
AquAid definitely offer more than industry standards when it comes to the supplier / customer relationship.
Of course we pride ourselves on the ever important customer service while supplying top quality, highly effective and user friendly range of water coolers, boilers and water fountains – all with a guaranteed next day delivery service.
The ‘more’ is something of which we’re especially proud: the knowledge that an integral part of a successful business model is in giving back and since AquAid’s inception, something we’ve practised. How? By ensuring that a portion of our water cooler sales is donated to sustainable charities.
One of the most recent examples of how this is achieved was when we invited Swiis International to participate in building an Elephant Pump in Africa on their behalf.
“Here at Swiis International (and our sister companies; Swiis Foster Care, Swiis Foster Care Scotland and Swiis Health Care), we are aware that keeping our staff members hydrated will aid them to perform at their very best throughout the working day. As a result, we decided to invest in water coolers from AquAid.
Our partnership with AquAid has also given our company the opportunity to help those less fortunate than ourselves. With each purchase an automatic donation is made to the Africa Trust and these funds are used to build ‘Elephant Pumps’ – a modified version of an age old Chinese rope pulley system. One such pump is currently being installed in Africa on our behalf and it will be a much needed source of clean and fresh drinking water for many.
Our organisation’s name will be proudly displayed on the well and we look forward to adding both photos and feedback from the villagers to our website in the near future.
To date, AquAid have built over 8,000 such Elephant Pumps across parts of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Liberia; and have donated in excess of £16 million to charity.”
We’re delighted that Swiis International agreed to take part in this initiative and we look forward to being able to present a certificate and photo of their well in honour of their participation in the near future.
The Water Cooler Wards Off Impaired Cognitive Performance
Mild dehydration is classified as a 1% loss in body mass and studies have shown that this deficit can result in reduced concentration and awareness levels. Many of us can be mildly dehydrated without even knowing it, which means our performance is not what it should be; but during a week like the one we’ve just had with such sweltering temperatures, it can play havoc with our bodies, mental agility and mood.
A study entitled ‘Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men’ published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2011, studied the effect that dehydration can have without incurring hyperthermia – the condition of having a body temperature greatly above normal.
The test group of 26 young men, with an average age of 20 years, participated in three randomised trials. Each trial had the men complete three 40 minute treadmill walks at 5.6 km/hour, on a 5% grade in a 27.7 °C environment. During each trial an extensive computerised cognitive test battery was administered examining mood states, vigilance, reaction time, short-term spatial memory and pattern recognition, learning, and logical reasoning, amongst others.
The results showed that the level of dehydration achieved in the study, without incurring hyperthermia, is similar to the level of mild dehydration encountered routinely by adults during a normal work day. This led to adverse changes in vigilance and working memory, and increased levels of tension/anxiety and fatigue.
So yes, being mildly dehydrated definitely impairs productivity, but add to that the extreme heat we’re currently experiencing which can lead to heat stroke and ultimately hyperthermia, and the detrimental results above may become even worse. Which is why it’s imperative at all times, but especially during periods of extreme heat to keep ourselves properly hydrated – make sure you visit your office water cooler multiple times during the day, set an alarm if you must; and increase your water intake while at home as well.
And remember, for all your office water needs, call AquAid – we’re the UK’s leading water cooler supplier and will provide an affordable water solution perfectly tailored to your needs.
