So, what happens if you can not drink dirty water and you’re in a survival situation? Do you panic? Do you sit around wondering what to do? Probably not. You need to face the facts and come up with a realistic plan for staying hydrated.
You’re not thirsty. You’re suffering from dehydration
When your body doesn’t receive enough water, it will start to suffer. You will feel a lack of energy, you might even feel dizzy. Your blood pressure will drop, and you may experience headaches. If you aren’t able to replenish your body’s water, you could go into shock.
To avoid these problems, you should aim to drink at least 2 litres of water every day. If you aren’t able to drink that much, you could start to feel thirsty. When you aren’t able to drink enough water, you’ll start to feel faint, dizzy and your lips and skin could become dry and cracked.
Plan your water intake for the day
The first thing to consider is how much water you’re actually drinking. You need to keep an eye on your water consumption so that you don’t skip meals, or simply forget to drink water from time to time. With that in mind, you could grab a water consumption diary, or use an app to keep you on track.
Either way, keep track of how much water you’re drinking each day. If you find that you’re not getting enough water, you’ll start to feel thirsty more often. As your body loses water, it will become more difficult to regulate your body temperature. If you aren’t properly hydrated, you’ll experience dizziness, headaches and even seizures.
If you have to drink, drink purified water first
First of all, we don’t recommend that you drink water straight from a dirty puddle. We know that this sounds like an option, but it isn’t a good one. Your body isn’t designed to digest water like this, and it could cause stomach cramps and diarrhoea. If you have to drink water, your best option is to purify it. There are a few ways that you can do this.
You can boil the water for 8 minutes, or you could use a chemical purification method, such as a purifying filter. Whatever option you choose, make sure that you store the water in a clean container. You could also keep a water purification kit in your car or home so that you have access to purified water in an emergency.
Plant a garden and use the produce to stay hydrated
If you have access to clean water and space, you could look into growing your own vegetables and herbs. This is a great way to stay hydrated and gain nutrients, while minimizing your food bill.
There are a number of vegetables that you could grow in a garden. These could include parsley, spinach, carrots, and beans. You could also grow herbs such as rosemary and thyme. These herbs have a number of uses, including being used in herbal remedies.
Add ice cubes to your water supply
If you have access to ice, you could use it to stay hydrated. This is a cheap and effective way to stay hydrated in an emergency. You could place ice in a metal or plastic container, or you could use an ice bag. Placing ice in water will both cool the water down and give it a ‘cool’ flavour.
You could split the difference by putting into 2 or 3 parts to ensure that you get a flavour from each ice cube. Ice could be a great way to stay hydrated in an emergency, and it could be a cheap option.
Put together a home dehydrator and dehydrate your own food
Another effective strategy is to dehydrate your own food. This is a great option, as it will help to keep you well-fed, while keeping your food costs low. Dehydration is when your body’s water intake is less than your daily requirement.
It could be caused by not drinking enough water, or not eating enough food. When your body is dehydrated, it can’t function properly. If you dehydrate your own food, you could create a dehydrated meal plan. This will include dried vegetables, fruit, and nuts. You could also dehydrate herbs, such as oregano, and ground spices, such as cumin.
Conclusion
To stay hydrated in an emergency, you’ll need to drink water, and you’ll probably have to drink purified water first. You could also dehydrate your own vegetables and fruits, or add ice cubes to your water supply. Finally, you could set up a home dehydrator, and dehydrate your own food.