As the UK basks in the last rays of sun this summer, Brits are still refusing to drink enough water making dehydration, heat-stroke, and other hydration related health issues a key priority to tackle. Hydration experts, air up are seeking to tackle the concerning trend in the UK – whereby 45% of Brits only drink one glass of water a day – by making water fun and filled with flavour using retronasal technology.

A loss of as little as 1% of our bodies water has been shown by the Cambridge Journal of Nutrition to impair cognitive functioning, increasing feelings of anxiety and fatigue. Serious dehydration can see individuals feel dizzy, vomit, experience bone pain, and even develop kidney stones. While water might therefore be labelled by some as ‘boring’ it is absolutely essential for us to not only survive, but thrive, supporting every facet of our bodies.

In light of this, air up’s co-founder Lena Jüngst has put together her top tips for hydrating in a heatwave

Drink before you’re thirsty

“To stay hydrated it’s important to make sure your water levels are constantly being topped up throughout the day. In the extreme heat the UK is currently experiencing, these levels are depleted at a much faster rate and we might not even realise we’re thirsty until we’re at the point of dehydration, so it’s important to make sure to drink at regular intervals throughout the day.”

Be aware of how much water you’re consuming

“Although taking sips of water here and there is great, it’s better to be aware of exactly how much we’re consuming to be sure we’re actually getting as much water as we need. It’s all too easy to feel as though we’re drinking litres of water whilst takings small sips but in reality sometimes this only equates to a glass or so a day. Carrying a water bottle and setting a goal of how many of these you are drinking throughout the day ensures that this does not happen.”

Keep water with you at all times

“As temperatures soar and Brits flock to parks and beaches, we must remember to pack our water bottles to make sure we’re not caught out in the sun without any access to water. Carrying a bottle of water (e.g. our air up) in the summer weather provides us with instant hydration as and when we need it.”

Enjoy what you’re drinking!
“A third of the nation have told us that they find water boring so they don’t drink it often. With the Met Office issuing extreme hot weather warnings, it’s more important than ever to get Brits drinking water to keep everyone safe. If you don’t like water, drinking as many fluids as possible such as squash, tea, or better yet plain water that tricks our senses into tasting flavour, keeps our water levels up and keeps us safe in the sun.”

Key stats:

45% (23,152,000) of Brits drink around one glass of water a day
30% (15,701,000) of Brits find water boring so they don’t often drink it
29% (14,814,000) of Brits have tried, without success, to drink more wate
Air up are therefore advocating for an innovative way to add flavour to our soft drinks without the chemical nasties that offset our goals to stay hydrated and live healthier lifestyles. To try and provide an innovative, healthy, and still tasty way to drink water, improving our relationships with hydration, air up is advocating for the use of retronasal technology.

With 80% of flavour coming from our sense of smell, instead of taste, air up harnesses this clever bit of science, infusing every sip of water from your bottle with flavoured air, offering Brits a healthy alternative to flavoured drinks while still drinking 100% pure water. Each pod contains natural flavourings and scents that infuse with ambient air to be added to the pure water, these flavours range from Lime and Orange-Passionfruit to Cola and Iced Coffee with ten others in between, offsetting British aversions to water and improving our sense of health and wellness in the process, truly disrupting the soft drinks sector and our consumption habits.

Lena Jüngst – co-founder of air up comments:

“Air up is a new and fascinating way to taste. What I love most about our product, as a designer, is that it shows that a more healthy and sustainable lifestyle can still be fun and appealing. For me that is a very promising sign for our future, and something that we have worked hard to achieve. Air up is the world’s first drinking bottle that flavours water only by scent with the help of retronasal smelling. Compared to other drinks with flavour, we do not put any ingredients into the water, but only add small fragrance bubbles that are not absorbed by the body. So the water remains water – just with flavour. This is not only good for your health, but also a much more sustainable alternative. As far as we know, no one has ever used retronasal smell like we do, to create flavour. We are a true “world’s first” and that’s pretty rare nowadays.”