Debunking The Truth About Some Survival Myths

Survival myths are something that makes rounds on the internet often, but most of them are actually not true and just misleading people. Some myths are so deep-rooted that only a few people know the truth behind them. Here we are discussing some survival stuff that you must’ve heard, but there is less truth to them. Not everything that you see on television, the reason you must be aware of the truth about these survival myths and how to survive in harsh conditions. Let’s look at some survival myths and what is actually the truth;

1, “Report to the concerned department as soon as someone is found to be missing. Do not follow this myth that you have to inform the authorities after a day.”

2, “No standing outside the door in an earthquake. It is rather better to hide underneath any furniture to protect yourself from any injury.”

3, “Avoid drinking alcohol to warm your body in the cold. Your body feels warm because it dilates the blood vessels of the body actually causing more heat loss. In that way, you can die of hypothermia more quickly.”

4, “Refrain from tying the rope from your waist to prevent the fall. It can protect you from hitting the ground, but can actually cause internal organs and back injury. You have to tie safety ropes from your hips and legs, rather than the waist.

5, “Do not jump from the elevator in freefall. It is a misconception that it makes landing easy, but it can paralyze and even kill you. Lay flat and distribute the weight properly, you can survive better this way. It is not 100 percent foolproof, but there is a better chance of survival.”

6, “A backpack actually protects your back and neck if you get attacked. There is no proof that throwing a backpack away would distract the animal from attacking you. The fact is, with a gun or a spray bear both do not guarantee that bear would be killed.”

7, “Do not use rocks from nearshore for the campfire. Many rocks have some amount of water in it, when lightened up, they can turn into a grenade and then into steam. People think that river rocks look cool and easy to find, but they are actually way too dangerous.”

8, “The truth is you have to swim alongside the shore, no matter parallel or perpendicular. Don’t tire yourself to just swim in the parallel direction, understand the rip current and angle of swimming along the shore.”

9, “Never drink urine to tackle your thirst! Urine contains lots of salts, it would just dehydrate a person more.”

10, “This is not true to find food first in case of being trapped somewhere. The fact is a human can survive up to six weeks without food. The top priority should be to find water and shelter rather than food.”

11, “In the situation of being attacked by the black bear, make sure to make loud noises to scare him off. Brown bears mostly attack in defense and to protect their cubs. Just run to protect yourself, you don’t need to pretend that you are dead”.

12, “It is better to run in front of flames than hiding. Make sure to cover your eyes, mouth, and face, keep running on the safe path. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and run to take a breath when you hit the safe ground. Else, you can take a breath of heated air, that can burn up lungs and turn fatal.”

13, “Punch at the nose of a shark if being attacked, but in fact, you can not be sure that you can hit the bottom of the nose perfectly. The truth is you can protect yourself perfectly by putting a solid object between you and the shark. If that does not work, aim at the eyes or gills.

14, “No eating of anything in a forest if an animal eats. This is so odd to eat raw meat, as it can affect your health. You must cook the food properly before eating, even if it is for a few minutes. There are many mushrooms that can kill you instantly. Always eat something that is safe for you in harsh conditions.” 

15, “Storing water is actually an awful idea. The fact is, just keep drinking what you have until it is finished. Keep yourself hydrated so that you can keep finding the way out. The decisions you make in a harsh situation are important for survival. Most situations are solved within 72 hours, keep your energy in solving the situation, not in storing water.”