It is not unusual for workers — including emergency-first-responders — to endure long periods of work in conditions of elevated heat stress. Workers can often become dehydrated from not ingesting ample fluids to replace fluid loss due to sweating.
Dehydration is a major cause of the impairment of thermoregulation — our body's ability to keep itself within certain temperature boundaries. It can result in reduced safety and impaired judgement.
Apart from darker urine, other signs and symptoms of dehydration include lower urine output, increased thirst, dry mouth, light-headedness, impaired mental focus, dull headache and increased heart rate. These become noticeable after two per cent of one's normal water volume has been lost.
So the obvious answer is to consume more water, right? Wrong.
Studies suggest consuming large amounts of water can often be dangerous due to large volumes of urine produced and consequent weight loss — in periods of elevated heat stress.
Sqwincher is an electrolyte replacement drink scientifically formulated to safely replace mineral salts, replenish fluids and sugars at optimal absorption rates which are depleted as a result of dehydration or through physical exertion.
It prevents or reduces the severity of heat stress disorders and provides a supplemental source of energy plus quenches thirst.
In a study conducted by the University of Alabama, 12 males were asked to participate in an experiment aimed at comparing the rate of rehydration between water and Sqwincher over four hours while working in protective clothing in an industrial environment.
Half the subjects were exposed to lemon lime-flavoured Sqwincher, the other half to odourless, flavourless, lime-coloured water. The results demonstrated even in the face of very high sweat rates, workers remained well hydrated when consuming Sqwincher.
Sqwincher enabled the replacement of 99.7 per cent of the total fluid (sweat plus urine) lost over eight (hours) of simulated work. In contrast, the water trial induced a greater heart rate and produced a weight loss of half a kilogram in each subject.
Keep in mind that your urine colour is usually a symptom and not a health issue in and of itself — so don't go running to the hospital when you're seeing red or highlighter yellow after a few slices of beetroot or a vitamin B/C supplement.
If you believe you or one of your co-workers is in an unhealthy range, make sure you take first aid precautions and rest in a cool place, apply wet towels or water to the subject, give them Sqwincher , or another electrolyte beverage to drink, and resuscitate if necessary.
Don't let your workers let the effects of dehydration go unchecked. For a limited time you can qualify to receive free dehydration check cards for your workplace.
Simply phone Pryme Australia on 07 3374 4544 or contact them using the form below.
