Best Tips for Surviving the Heat

Every survivalist knows that extremely high temperature is one of the scariest dangers in nature. Every year, high temperatures kill thousands of people around the world. This problem is more intense than other natural calamities such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and lightning. And in the zompocalypse, extreme weather is even more of a possibility.

In this post, we will show you how to survive the heat.

How extreme heat kills

If you know how extreme heat is harmful for humans, you will easily understand how to survive it. Besides making you very uncomfortable, extremely heat can shut down your vital systems.

Unfortunately, the symptoms are not easy to notice. Children and old people are the main victims of high temperatures.

Air heats up when it is pulled down toward the ground. It inhibits wind and prevents cloud cover. The intense heat of the sun becomes worse.

If you spend a long time in the heat, your body temperature rises and your body’s cool-down system is triggered. And as a result, you sweat. For surviving the heat, you should know how heat makes you feel uncomfortable.

As you sweat, the heat is dissipated. It cools you down. But when the heat is extreme, you sweat so much that it does not evaporate properly. Due to high humidity, you sweat more and eventually experience dehydration.

Your body tries to replenish the fluids and you get thirsty. Due to low level of electrolytes, you experience exhaustion, cramps and other symptoms.

In extreme heat, you may even suffer a heatstroke. You stop sweating when your body loses the ability to cool itself. And when your brain is affected, you experience confusion, lack of coordination, nausea and other symptoms.

Although all of these sound horrific, there are many things you can do to prevent them from happening. Here are a few things you can do to survive very high temperatures:

Soak clothing, towels and hats in water

You can cool off your clothing by soaking it in water, because cotton can absorb and retain moisture. To cool off your shirt, pour some water on it. You can use hats in many ways. They can protect your eyes and face. If you soak your hat in water, it will keep your head cool.

When you are going to head outside on a hot day, carry a rag or towel with you. Get it wet and then keeps it on your neck. When it comes to holding water, some towels are better than others.

Spend some time in shade

On an extremely hot day, you should find shade and regularly spend time in it. No matter what you are busy with, you should cool off in shade. Even in a serious situation such as a heatstroke, you should cool first and take other steps later.

If the temperature is rising fast, finding some shade is the best thing you can do. Do not be in a hurry. On a hot day, you should move slowly and try to keep cool. You will succeed in surviving the heat if you try to stay relaxed.

Do not overexert yourself

If you move too much, soon you will get hot and lose energy. And if you move less, you will cool down quickly. When you exercise, about 80% of your energy is turned into heat. When it is too hot outside, you do not need to move that much.

Do not push yourself. Take frequent breaks. Remember, heatstroke is the cause of the deaths of many soldiers and athletes.

Drink plenty of water

To function properly, the human body needs more water on a hot day. If you can, add salt to your water so that the body’s electrolytes are replenished. But drinks with caffeine, carbonation and alcohol should be avoided. Slowing the hydration process, these drinks may lead to dehydration.

If you have limited access to water, do not waste water. And if you have a long way to travel, make sure you pack enough water. You will eventually need more water than you think. When it comes to surviving the heat, nothing is more important than drinking a lot of water.

Do not use handheld electric fans

On a very hot day, you should not use handheld electric fans. Although fans give you some comfort, they do not really reduce the temperature of your body. Moreover, if your skin is dry, evaporation can not take place. Due to the false comfort, you may not realize that you are going to have sunstroke.

Carry a water bottle

Carrying a misting bottle is a better idea than carrying a handheld fan. This is one of the best things you can do if you are having a trip on a very hot day. Surviving the heat is not a big issue at all if you always have access to plenty of pure water.

If you wash your face with water, the water will evaporate quickly, but it will cool you and provide some comfort. Rather than using a spraying bottle, use a misting bottle.

Go for a swim

Getting in the water is the best way to cool off on a hot summer day. Water will give you comfort. To cool off, go for a swim or have a water fight with others. In fact, you are never too old to go for a swim. When it comes to surviving the heat, going for a swim is one of the best things to do.

Evaporative cooling

You already know that perspiration provides evaporative cooling. You can use evaporative cooling in another way. You can use a “cool Collar”.

They can be bought easily, and they are easy to make. The full fabric tube in a cool collar is more than 25 inches long and one inch in diameter. Soak the cool collar in water and wear it around your neck. You will surely succeed in surviving the heat if you try this method.

The cool collar will gradually get warm by drawing heat from your body. You can also expand and turn this collar into a vest. There are workers who use these vests. The vests provide more cooling because they have larger surface areas.

Get underground

If you can get underground, you will feel comfortable because it is cooler there. If you are in the wilderness, you can get into a cave. In fact, a cave can be a perfect survival shelter in a hot weather.

You can also use a root cellar as an emergency shelter. It will provide you with much comfort. This is the best natural cooling in a hot weather. Surviving the heat is easy if you find such a place.

In some national parks, there are underground caves with lakes. They are about 10 to 20 feet under the ground, and they provide the best natural cooling.

Final tips

You can allow your body to stay cool by taking rests in the shade. And if there is no shade nearby, make your own shade. In a desperate situation, you can do that by stringing your clothing over trekking poles. Water is an important resource and you should not waste it.

Remember, both the sun and the wind can cause water evaporation, and that is why you should try to limit exposure to them. If you educate yourself and take necessary precautionary measures, you can survive extremely high temperatures.