Wilderness Survival Guide 55 Every day, your body uses 2-3 litres of water: humidifying your skin and the air you breathe, sweating to cool itself, digesting food and removing body wastes. As a result, you can only survive for about three days without this precious fluid. As your water losses exceed your intake, you will begin to show signs of dehydration; thirst, dry tongue, tiredness, nausea, sleepiness and infrequent, dark yellow urination. In addition, you will increase your susceptibility to fatigue, hypothermia, and in the winter, frostbite. Therefore, rationing water losses rather than rationing water intake is essential in a survival situation. The loss of liquids through respiration and perspiration can be greatly reduced if you breathe through your nose, wear head cover, keep your shirt on, work in the shade at a slow pace, and rest often. Remember, “Ration your sweat, not your water!” In the winter, the danger of dehydration is even greater. Your body is fighting a constant battle to humidify your skin and the dry cold air entering your lungs. You can help by covering all exposed skin where possible, while at the same time, being careful not to overheat yourself. Breathing through a piece of fabric will also help pre-humidify and warm the air entering your lungs. Dehydration thickens your blood, slowing circulation in your fine blood vessels. This will reduce warmth to your extremities and increase the risk of hypothermia and frostbite. While fighting off the cold, your body will also burn up its blood sugar and fat reserves, causing the kidneys to work overtime. Eating causes your body to pull water into the digestive system, then to the kidneys to remove waste products through the urine. With urine accounting for the largest loss of your body’s water supply, it is best to refrain from eating the first day when lost. Limiting your consumption to a bare minimum when water is scarce will reduce the amount of water required by your kidneys. DEHYDRATION The loss of liquids through respiration and perspiration can be greatly reduced if you breathe through your nose continued... www.adventuresmart.ca
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