by Fern Shaw | Sep 19, 2019 | aquaid, Water
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.
by Fern Shaw | Sep 5, 2019 | Water, water cooler
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.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 26, 2019 | Water, water cooler
Despite record breaking temperatures expected this week, we’re still often caught unawares as to how the heat affects our ability to stay hydrated.
To help keep us all well hydrated as the temperatures soar, here’s a checklist:
Eight glasses / Two litres
Although the recommended amount is 8 glasses of water a day, this isn’t a proper measurement. Rather look at drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water per day. Increase this daily amount when it’s hot.
Perspiration / Sweat
We tend to sweat more when it’s hot. When we sweat, we’re essentially ejecting water and electrolytes. Hence our body needs to replace the lost water. To lessen the chance of dehydrating, we need to drink more water the hotter we become.
Active / Inactive
Even if you’re not that active, you’ll still perspire when it’s hot. Air-conditioning may cool the sweat from a ‘fevered brow’, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to drink more water. If you’re exercising, always ensure to drink more water before you begin.
Thirst / Dehydration
By the time you feel thirsty, you’ve already begun dehydrating. Other signs are feeling faint or tired, muscle cramps, infrequent urination and very dark urine. If you are already feeling thirsty, instead of glugging water, rather take small sips.
Being as we are a water and water cooler provider of some 20 years, it’s our business to know all about proper hydration. We’re constantly checking to ensure that we’re up-to-date about all things drinking water related.
For ease of reference, we provide a quick reference guide at our website. That’s here.
Aside from that, we have over 22 AquAid branches throughout the UK, staffed by highly experienced water knowledgeable teams who are more than equipped to provide you with the right water provision solution tailor-made to suit your hydration requirements.
We can’t, of course, make you hydrate properly as that’s certainly up to you. We’re also not using the terms – lead-horse-water-drink in here, perish the thought – but we are hoping that you recognise for your own health and well-being how important it is to make sure that you are aware that in order to perform at your peak, whether at work or play, you need to be adequately (AquAidly) hydrated.
We’d love to be able to assist. Contact us today.
by Belinda Ollewagen | Apr 29, 2019 | Water, water dispenser
We’re slowing moving into summer (yay!) which means longer days, warmer weather, ice cream at the park and lolling about in the water. Even if the closest you come to water right now is the office water dispenser, there are summer weekends and holidays to look forward to, and if you have young children, it’s important to be extra vigilant when they’re in the water.
To help create better awareness, May is National Water Safety Month which is an annual campaign designed to bring safe and enjoyable water activities to everyone. If you do have small children, here are a few important Water Safety Tips to keep in mind this summer in and around pools, courtesy of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
- Teach children water safety and swimming skills as early as possible – it’s never too early to start.
- Always brief babysitters on water safety, emphasizing the need for constant supervision.
- Appoint a designated watcher to monitor children during social gatherings at or near pools – don’t assume ‘someone’ is watching.
- Equip doors and windows that exit to a pool area with alarms.
- Post CPR instructions and learn the procedures – make sure anyone supervising children is also familiar with the process.
- Keep rescue equipment and a first aid kit poolside – don’t wait for the paramedics to arrive because you will lose valuable lifesaving seconds.
- Install four-sided isolation fencing, at least five feet high, equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates that completely surrounds the pool and prevents direct access from the house and yard.
- Maintain constant visual contact with children in a pool or pool area. If a child is missing, check the pool first; seconds count in preventing death or disability.
- Don’t use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision. Never allow a young child in a pool without an adult. And don’t rely on swimming lessons, life preservers or other equipment to make a child ‘water safe’.
- Don’t think you’ll hear a child who’s in trouble in the water; child drowning is a silent death, with no splashing to alert anyone that the child is in trouble.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 29, 2019 | Water, water cooler
Recently, while I was on a water refill break at our office water cooler, I read an article regarding ‘influencers’ and a certain holiday resort in South East Asia. What had transpired is that this very popular resort began to be inundated with requests from self-proclaimed ‘influencers’ – travellers with social media accounts (predominantly YouTube and Instagram) who have a number of followers – asking if they could stay at the resort for free in exchange for sharing photos about their stay, thereby ‘influencing’ their followers to travel and stay at the location.
After a period the resort owner’s reaction was to himself go on to social media whereupon he posted a comment stating that he would not be offering accommodation at the resort in exchange for the proposed reach that these followers had and further to that, his suggestion to said influencers was that they pay for the accommodation just like any other guest.
This got me thinking. With the incredible advent of digital based business, with social media users increasing at a phenomenal rate year on year, is it possible to quantify physically based goodwill e.g. your taking your customers out for a coffee vs. ether based good will e.g. your commenting on social media about how wonderful your customer’s product/service is?
Of course, it may not help that there are different definitions of goodwill from a social aspect versus a commodity based aspect. Goodwill in business terms is a quantifiable asset of an intangible portion of a business which is calculable when the entity is being bought or sold.
Goodwill, in my opinion, (always become a little more clearheaded when I up my water intake) is any action that is undertaken as a kindness or is an act of benevolence without forethought of any reciprocation.
What do you think?
