Sufficient sleep, regular exercise, varied diet, no smoking ... we all know the eternal mantra for a healthy and productive life. One aspect that is often underplayed or even forgotten is hydration. But why is hydration so important right now? What effect does hydration have on your productivity? And can you chug something other than plain water? Read on to find out more.

The importance of hydration

Hydration or drinking enough is crucial for the proper functioning of the body, and in particular the brain. According to Harvard University, the average man should drink about 16 glasses of water a day, and 11 is recommended for the average woman.

Water regulates your body temperature, keeps your joints supple, helps prevent inflammation and brings nutrients to your cells. In addition, it provides the fuel for our kidneys and liver, which break down waste products and expel them from the body. Our human body is about 60% water. In fact, every organ in our body is hugely dependent on water.

When you lose more water than enters your cells, we speak of dehydration. In this case, your body loses not only the fluid, but also the minerals ("electrolytes") dissolved in it that are important for keeping your nerve and muscle function sharp.

While you can basically survive for weeks without food, you can succumb to the effects of dehydration within days or even hours. Making sure you have enough fluids is not just important, it can be vital.(Harvard T.H. Chan)

Hydration and productivity: match made in heaven? 

Since our brain is made up of 70% water, it makes sense that we need to drink a lot in order to concentrate better. Water is a crucial nutrient for optimal daily functioning. Even mild dehydration (which is equivalent to losing 1-2% of body fluids) can worsen all of our cognitive performance by 12%. Our results can drop and, as a result, we can perform worse in the workplace. But it can also go even further than that, it can also cause headaches, fatigue or constipation. So you can counteract all this if you drink a glass of water on time!(The Hydration Equation)

Water, coffee or Dripl drinks? 

According to a study by St. Andrews University, we see that water is not the most hydrating drink. Water is beaten by drinks that contain a little sugar, fats or protein. These drinks can hydrate our bodies for a long time, longer than water. But beware, too much sugar results in long-term dehydration because when sugar passes our small intestine, water is turned on to dilute the sugar.

So which drink then is ideal for hydrating our bodies? The number one is milk because milk contains sugar, fat and protein in the right amount. Milk itself can make our body retain water longer because of the sodium. (The Um)

I can already hear you asking: I put milk in my coffee, is drinking coffee better than water? The answer to that is: no. Coffee does not outperform water, but it does hydrate our bodies. Since coffee contains caffeine, it may cause you to need to go to the bathroom more often because caffeine is a diuretic. But you would have to drink a lot of coffee before it has a dehydrating effect on your body. It also depends on what kind of coffee you drink, because different kinds of coffees have different amounts of caffeine. But despite its diuretic effect, coffee is not likely to cause dehydration. Coffee only becomes a danger if you were to drink 1.2 liters since you would ingest more than 500 mg of caffeine.(A Healthy Life)

We have good news for you if you're not comfortable drinking water all the time to keep your body hydrated. Dripl drinks score very well for hydration and thus help with your productivity in the workplace. Since the Dripl drinks consist only of natural ingredients and contain three-quarters less sugars, they are a top choice. The drinks are made up of 9/10 water and 1/10 flavour concentrate. Thus, the average Dripl drink contains: 2 grams of sugar, 7.5 calories, 1.9g of carbohydrates and only holistic ingredients. While another soft drink quickly contains: 9 grams of sugar, 10g of carbohydrates, 42 calories and chemical sweeteners and preservatives. A world of difference!

This gives your body enough water combined with natural sugars to keep your body hydrated even longer. The drinks contain everything your body needs and while you can enjoy a delicious taste. There is something for everyone in the range, would you like a sweet vitamin C bomb? Try our Cranberry. Or if you prefer a soft pink touch in your water bottle, enjoy the Rose Mint. Or do you need an extra boost of energy and don't want the caffeine of coffee in you? Pour yourself a glass of Maté Energizer and you'll be good to go! With every Dripl drink you give yourself a healthy boost and you can perform better in the workplace.

So: Get enough sleep, exercise regularly, eat a varied diet, don't smoke and stay hydrated.

Even though milk scores better than water, drinking water is still a must for our bodies. But if you are tired of drinking that and looking forward to a different taste but with the same healthy effect, we definitely know a solution for that 😉

Want to know more about how to offer a healthy alternative in the office that hydrates and tastes better than water? Test our flavours yourself and find out which one you think might suit your office.