Notes from Nurse Alice: Increased Health for Twinfield Students from Drinking More Water
The problem:
Studies show that many children and adolescents are not drinking enough water at school, and that even mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance including working memory, reaction time and attention span. Not drinking enough also causes both mental and physical fatigue and also increases irritability, increased anxiety, reduced mood and constipation.
In addition, because children and adolescents have a higher body service area in proportion to their body mass, they overheat more rapidly and lose water more quickly during physical activity during recess and physical education classes. Also, chronic fluid deficits, when combined with repeated physical activity, can lead to reduced aerobic capacity, impaired motor coordination, and an increased risk for injury.
The recommendations:
The National Institute of Public Health recommends that children and younger adolescents drink between 1900ml and 2500ml daily depending on activity levels.
What we are doing at Twinfield to help:
Encouraging all students to drink water in hallways and classrooms.
Encouraging elementary students to access water in their classrooms.
Encouraging middle and high school students to more frequently access water fountains and refill water bottles at bottle filling stations.
Providing water bottles from the Nurse’s Office to students who do not have one. These are 24ounce (710ml) bottles and so students should drink and refill these 3 to 4 times daily.
As always if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
:0)
Nurse Alice