Water - The Key to Survival Preparedness
Survival preparedness includes numerous precautionary steps to protect yourself and your family. These steps should be prioritized and accomplished in order according to their importance. One of the most crucial steps in survival preparedness is storing and preparing a way to provide drinkable water in survival situations.
Water is the life-fluid for the human body. It aids and facilitates a variety of bodily functions such as carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells, allows proper digestion, flushing waste and toxins from the body, regulates body temperature and cushioning the joints. In a way, water can be compared to oil in a vehicle. With the proper amount and quality of oil, a vehicle runs smoothly and efficiently. With low oil level and quality, a vehicle will run roughly and the different parts will begin to fail. With no oil a vehicle will burn out and eventually die. Water has the same effect on the body.
The standard amount of water a person should drink is eight 8 ounce glasses per day. This amount is difficult to drink for most people. The correct amount of water a person should drink per day depends on each individual. A good rule of thumb is the more the better! Men should drink more water than women and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should drink more water than women who are not. Also, a person that exercises should drink more water than someone who does not. Climate and altitude also play a role in how much water a person should drink. High altitude and a dry or hot climate cause the required daily amount of water to go up. Clothing also plays a part in necessary water consumption. Since different parts of the body lose different quantities of water through evaporation, breathing and sweating, the necessary daily intake of water for each person also depends on the clothing a person is wearing.
Not drinking enough water often occurs in survival situations and leads to dehydration. Even if you are simply thirsty, you are experiencing a mild state of dehydration. Some signs that you are dehydrated include dry skin, constipation, frequent urinary tract infections, reoccurring headaches, muscle weakness, sleepiness and dizziness.
Dehydration is a key concern for survival preparedness. Once you are dehydrated, your body begins to shut down and continues to shut down until the required supply of water is replenished. Without water, the average person can last a few days to a just over a week at the most. This short timeline that one can last without water is partly due to evaporation factors. In an extremely hot climate, a person may not last even 24 hours without water. In cooler climates, a person may last a week.
Without water, the kidneys shut down within a couple of days which eventually leads to death. In addition, without adequate water the body experiences other side-effects such as ketosis and uremia (build up of toxins in the blood), organ failure, electrolyte imbalance that causes cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, low blood pressure leading to blood clots, brain damage and eventually death.
Water is also a key factor of survival preparedness because it affects morale. Staying positive and focused in a survival situation is difficult if you do not have enough water to keep you from becoming dehydrated.
Though the effects of having no water are serious, the precautions one can take to have sufficient water for survival preparedness are affordable and simple. Many options exist to ensure you are prepared for survival situations such as water purification devices and tablets, water filtrations devices and various storage options. No matter the method you choose to ensure you will have water to drink in survival situations, do not underestimate water's role in survival preparedness.
Water - The Key to Survival Preparedness
Post written By Preston Lembke