Video Q&A - What are some causes of dehydration in the workplace?

The average age of the industrial worker is 40 years old. Caffeine, alcohol, and energy drinks are common in the industry. How do these contribute to dehydration and what are some of the other challenges with hydrating a 40 year old adult?

Jamie: So, dehydration, you know, there are the sun, you're sweating. What else can contribute to dehydration?

Bubba: Dehydration, particularly in the workplace, we have many challenges that we deal with because the average age worker in the industrial sector is 40-years-old. And with that, there's alcohol consumption, there's caffeine consumption particularly in the beverage world today, it’s very popular. All of the high caffeinated, high sugar energy drinks, if you will. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, which do the opposite from what we're trying to do. It promotes the body to expel water, not to retain it. So, also diet, high fat diets are not good typically for the body. And also the conditions that we're working under pose a lot of challenges, whether it's machines putting off high heat or individuals who are having to use certain protective suits that obviously trapped the body heat. They're all kind of conditions and in situations over and above what you might have with a typical athlete on the football field or basketball court. Many… many more challenges in the industrial sector when it comes to hydrating, you know, a 40-year-old adult.

(Learn more in It's Not All About Fluids: 5 Factors That Can lead to Dehydration.)