Survival Tips: How to Retain Fluids

To keep fluid loss to the minimum, take the following precautions:

• Avoid exertion, just rest


• Don't smoke


• Keep cool, stay in shade. If there is none, erect a cover to provide it


• Do not lie on hot ground or heated surfaces


• Don't eat, or eat as little as possible. If there is no water available, fluid will be taken from the vital organs to digest food, thus further increasing dehydration. Fat is hardest to digest and takes a lot of fluid to break it down


• Never drink alcohol. It also takes fluid from vital organs to break it down


• Don't talk and breathe through the nose, not the mouth.