This Is How Long You Can Survive In These Life Threatening Situations

By Kirsty 1 year ago

1. Without Sleep: Around 11 Days

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We all know how important it is to get a good night's sleep, but many of us sacrifice that on a daily basis. How long can you actually survive without any sleep at all? Well, the longest recorded time is around 264 hours, or just over 11 days. Sleep deprivation sets in very quickly though, and things like hallucinations will start after only a couple of days.

2. Without Water: Around 3 Days

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You may have seen on survival programs how important it is to find water first - that's because water is more important than food. You can survive only a few days (max) without water. This can all depend on the person and environment, though, such as high temperatures or how much you're moving around and exerting yourself! It can begin with dehydration to complete organ failure after a few days.

3. Without Food: Maybe 2 Months

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It's likely that a person could manage to survive from 1 to 2 months without any food - provided they had access to water, of course! It can vary though, based on the person's weight and food needs. A healthy person at a healthy weight is more likely to survive up to 2 months, maybe even 3, if they have enough calories stored already.

4. Stranded In The Desert: About 3 Days

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This one is directly linked to running out of water, as it's likely that which will kill you if you're stuck in the desert. Water is obviously very hard to find in a dry, hot desert so it's likely you'll last a few days before dying from dehydration - but there's always hope you'll find a water source! After that, survival depends on how much water you have.

5. Stuck In Cold Water: Just Over An Hour

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If your body is submerged in freezing water - or water that is colder than around 6 degrees C - then it's likely you'll survive just over an hour - around 75 minutes, to be exact. The effects of the cold water on the body can be felt after only 20 to 30 minutes, which is ideally the time to get yourself out!

6. In Freezing Temperatures: Under An Hour

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If you've decided to climb Everest and you're not dressed properly, you can expect to die in under 60 minutes due to freezing temperatures in the air. If you're exposed to extremely cold conditions, you can expect hypothermia to set in after only 5 minutes if your skin is exposed. Death can then happen in under an hour.

7. In Boiling Hot Temperatures: Around 45 Minutes

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Extremely hot temperatures can be just as lethal as cold ones, as anyone who's suffered heat stroke on their vacation will know! But for very, very hot temperatures, it can all depend on how much water you've drank, too. You might be able to last 15 minutes without damage, but around 45 minutes before it starts becoming a matter of life or death.

8. Unconscious Without Breathing: 4-6 Minutes

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The race is on if you're trying to save someone who's unconscious and isn't breathing - this is why knowing CPR is always a plus! If a person is knocked out and they're not breathing, they have around 4 minutes before permanent brain damage can happen due to lack of oxygen. After that, death can happen between 4-6 minutes without oxygen.

9. No Air: 5 To 10 Minutes

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If you don't have oxygen supply but you're conscious, like if you're slowly suffocating or if you're drowning, you can survive anything between 5 to 10 minutes depending on the other conditions (like if you're drowning in water that's also icy cold!). If you survive after this time, there's still a risk of serious brain damage because of no air supply.

10. Lost At Sea

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Surviving whilst being lost at sea depends on a variety of factors - you're basically at risk of a million different things! The first point will be to find a fresh supply of water - if you only have salt sea water (which you shouldn't drink), you might be able to survive up to 3 days. With a fresh water supply, you still have to contend with making sure you have shelter, clothing against hot or cold temperatures and also dealing with a boat leak so you don't drown!

11. An Earthquake

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During an earthquake, your survival time depends on the steps you take and what's around you. Finding access to clean water supply if you're stranded in rubble is the first task, otherwise you won't survive more than a few days without water. You can survive longer if you prepare an earthquake survival kit ahead of time, like first aid, food and bottled water.

12. Volcano Eruption

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If you find yourself on the wrong side of a lava eruption (which is basically every side), your survival depends on the equipment you have and steps you take. You can die quite quickly exposed to ash and inhaling smoke, or you might get killed by the lava. If you have a car with a full tank of gas, you'll survive for as long as it takes to get out of the way!

13. Untreated Wound: Could Only Be A Few Hours

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A wound that becomes infected and remains untreated can kill you - but there's no set answer how long it would take. Some wounds could get worse and worse over the space of a week before becoming potentially fatal, while other more serious wounds could become septic in only a few hours!

14. Smoke Inhalation: 2-10 Minutes

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When you think of being caught in a fire, you might be most worried about the flames killing you - but it's smoke inhalation you have to worry about. Oxygen supply gets cut off the moment you start to inhale smoke, and it can take only 2 minutes for you to pass out. Between 2-10 minutes can be all it takes for you to die.

15. Being Poisoned

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This one depends entirely on the poison used, of course. Some are very, very quick while some are gradual - but all poison can kill you! The poison D-toxin is known to kill within only 15-20 seconds! Cyanide could take between 3 to 5 minutes, and ricin can slowly kill you over a period of around 72 hours.

16. Venomous Snake Bite: 20 Minutes

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This once again depends on the kind of snake and its venom, and how much you've angered it to see how many times it wants to sink its fangs into you. The black mamba is known to have the most fast-acting venom out of all snakes, and each bite holds around 12 times the lethal dose. Because of the body size of a human in comparison, though, it could take around 20 minutes for you to die from a black mamba bite.

17. Venomous Spider Bite: 15 Minutes

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This once again depends on the type of spider and the way its venom acts, but people in Australia will understand the risks of potentially fatal spider bites! The funnel web spider is one of the deadliest spiders in the world, because it can kill - and kill quickly. It can take only 15 minutes for a bite from one of these fellas to kill you.

18. Choking On Something: A Few Minutes

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If you get something lodged in your throat that completely cuts off any air supply through the windpipe, you've only got around a few minutes before permanent brain damage can happen through lack of oxygen. After that you may fall unconscious, still unable to breathe, which means you might have around 4-6 minutes in total before death.

19. Being Strangled: 4 To 5 Minutes

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Death by strangulation depends on the complete closing of your windpipe to cut off oxygen supply, and obviously a great amount of pressure is needed to do this! If a person succeeds in completely closing off your windpipe, then it can take around 4 to 5 minutes for brain death to happen because of lack of breathing, or it might be less time because of cutting off blood supply through pressure.

20. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Within Minutes

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Carbon monoxide is also known as the silent killer, because you may not even know you're being exposed to it when you're breathing it in. High levels of carbon monoxide can be fatal, and it can take up to 2 hours for you to fall unconscious from the gas. But at extremely high levels, carbon monoxide can kill you within minutes.

21. Buried Alive: Around 2 Hours

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Death through being buried alive is down to the amount of oxygen you have left in there - provided, of course, you're buried alive in a coffin and not directly in the ground! Yikes. But it's estimated there's around a 2 hour supply of oxygen in a coffin before it runs out. So your best bet is first not to scream, panic or take frantic breaths to preserve that supply!

22. Tornado: Probably A Few Seconds

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Surviving this natural disaster is only possible if you get out of its way! If you happen to get caught up in the middle of a tornado, your chance of survival is nil. Think of all the debris the tornado has collected - pieces of metal, wood, heavy items - and all of this will go through you at high speed. Death is pretty much instant.

23. Shark Attack

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When it comes to a shark attack, it's actually very rare to die - but of course, it's always a risk. The time it takes depends on the severity of the injury and the situation, but you're mostly likely to die from blood loss if it takes a huge bite out of you, or even drowning if it's dragged you under water. So this could be a case of under 10 minutes!

24. Stuck Under Ice: Possibly 15 Minutes

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This time frame is based on the fact that one real life man named John Smith actually did manage to survive being trapped under ice for 15 minutes! The key is to try and avoid panicking and control your breathing by holding your breath and avoiding inhaling any water as long as possible as you find a way out.

25. Zombie Apocalypse: It All Depends On Your Supplies

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And whether you have Rick Grimes around to help you. Of course, survival in a zombie apocalypse will all depend on whether you have a good place to hide, and a good source of supplies - especially water. If you can't find fresh water, you'll last a few days. If you can't find fresh water while being surrounded by a horde of undead, you'll last a few seconds.

26. Stuck In Quicksand: A Few Days

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Movies will have you believe that you only have a few seconds before quicksand pulls you under with a dramatic final shot at your hand before it sinks. But it's actually near impossible to die directly from quicksand taking you under. You'd have to worry about being stuck with your head above ground, and then dying from dehydration or starvation. So you might be able to survive a few days if you're stuck.

27. Bleeding From Your Femoral Artery: A Few Minutes

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Any sort of severe bleeding is life threatening due to blood loss, but the femoral is that one artery everyone knows about - it's the huge one in your thigh which is a serious problem if it gets cut. You can die from blood loss in only a few minutes if this particular artery is cut open, and as quickly as 2 minutes.

28. Stuck In A Car Sinking In Water

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We've all seen dramatic moments in films like James Bond where someone gets stuck in a car that's slowly sinking. If you can break the window, you'll be able to swim to freedom. If you can't, then it's really just a matter of time based on how long it takes for your car to sink, fill with water, how long you can hold your breath and then the few minutes it takes to drown.

29. Heart Attack: 10 Minutes

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This can vary, but it's generally considered that if you don't get medical help for a heart attack within 10 minutes, you're not likely to survive. Every minute that passes without treatment can increase your risk of death from heart attack. That's why it's important to call for an ambulance straight away!

30. Frostbite: 2 Minutes

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If you're in extreme temperatures with exposed skin, then frostbite is going to set in on whatever is exposed - pinkies, toes, you name it. The time it takes to die will all depend on the exact temperature, but if the temperature is below -55, you can expect to be in severe danger within only a couple of minutes!

31. Being Burned Alive: Maybe 10-15 Minutes

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This one is for those interested in the witch trials and being burned at the stake because we hope to god nobody has to die like this anymore! But if you were actually set on fire and wondering how long it would take, it could be up to 15 minutes. Your brain might shut down sooner than this when it realises death is going to happen (it does this to try and shut off nerve systems to protect you from actually feeling the pain).

32. Serious Knife Attack: Only A Few Minutes

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There's always the hope of surviving a knife attack, and of course it's possible to survive being stabbed if it's not in a vital organ area. But if you've been stabbed in a vital organ like the heart, or anywhere with a major blood vessel or artery, then it'll probably take only a few minutes to bleed out.

33. Falling From A Building

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This one can vary depending on the height of the building and the severity of injuries! If a very high building, you can die immediately on impact - especially if the head has suffered damage. In other cases, you may still not have hope, but may die later due to your injuries - maybe in a few hours, or a day.

34. Hung From The Gallows: A Few Minutes

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This is graphic and a little of morbid curiosity, but we've all seen people in pirate movies being sent to the gallows! So how long does it take to actually die? In some cases, the neck will snap immediately - so death is immediate. In others, if you're strangling to death, it can take a minute or two with air and blood supply cut off.

35. Being Stranded On A Desert Island

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This one of course depends on a variety of factors - and whether you have a football called Wilson. Because it won't be the island that kills you - it'll be starvation, lack of water or lack of shelter, if you don't succeed in finding any of these. So the quickest you can die on a desert island is around 3 days.

36. Being In A Plane Crash: 90 Seconds

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If you're lucky enough to have survived the initial crash, then you might thing you have some time to collect your things from the debris and find a way out now that the plane is out of the sky. But it actually only takes around 90 seconds for flames to consume the whole plane after crashing.

37. The Golden Poison Frog: 10 Minutes

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There are plenty of poisonous frogs in the world (you know the rule - if it's brightly colored, definitely don't touch it!). But the Golden Poison Frog is the most poisonous animal in the world. If you happen to find yourself up against one of these, it can take around 10 minutes for its poison to kill you.

38. Gunshot Wound: Less Than 10 Minutes

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This all depends on where you've been shot, as obviously a shot to vital organs are going to kill you pretty quickly. You can usually survive a shot to the stomach if you get help quick enough, but in general, you should expect to die in under 10 minutes in all cases.

39. Going Into Shock: Within 24 Hours

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If you've been something extremely traumatic that has sent your body into shock, most people who die from shock or trauma will do so within a day. If you get medical attention quickly enough, the effects of shock can usually be prevented and be non-fatal! It all depends.

40. Lethal Injection: A Few Minutes

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We know that the lethal injection is an accepted execution method for criminals on death row. But how long does it actually take for death to be carried out? By the first point of the very first injection, you can expect death to come a few minutes later - if everything goes to plan, of course (because sometimes it doesn't!).

41. Box Jellyfish Sting: A Few Minutes

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Enough to scare you from the ocean for life, if you happen to be stung by a box jellyfish, it can kill you in only a few minutes. Not all box jellyfish are venomous, but the ones that are can produce a very deadly venom from their tentacles that you don't want to find yourself tangling with.

42. Electrocution: Instant Death

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This all depends on the level of voltage, of course. For instant death we're talking very high voltage levels. You can still die from electrocution if the voltage is very low, but it can actually take much longer. You could survive a few minutes if you're being electrocuted from lower voltage.

43. Struck By Lightning: Within An Hour

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You might think being struck by lightning would mean instant death, but in most cases - if the strike is a fatal one, because some people have survived - then death occurs within an hour. This happens if the lightning strike has caused irreversible damage to the respiratory system or heart.

44. Stuck In An Avalanche: Up To 1 Hour At A Push

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Your survival if you're stuck in a snow avalanche depends entirely on being rescued - which can happen very quickly, if you're lucky! Otherwise, your chances drop with every minute that passes. Most people die within the first 15 minutes, and around 20-30% of people are still alive after 45 minutes.

45. Being Hit By A Car: It Could Be Instant

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This will all depend on what injuries you have, and how long help takes to arrive - and, of course, how fast the car was going! If you suffer blunt trauma to the head at high speed, death can be instant. Otherwise, you might have injuries that kill you later in hospital.

46. Falling Into A Volcano: Maybe 10 Minutes

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We'd hope there aren't some gaping volcanoes knocking around your neighborhood for you to stumble into, but it's still good to know that if - for any reason - you fell into a volcano, about 10 minutes would be your chance of survival. This is because if you landed on lava, you wouldn't sink - you'd just land on top, set of fire and burn to death. Lovely.

47. Eaten By An Animal: All Depends On The Animal!

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Some animals might like to play with their food, after all. It's always nice to know how long their meal is going to take - especially if you're the food. If you find yourself up against a wild animal and there's no hope, animals like lions and tigers will usually go for the neck to suffocate and kill before feasting on. Hyenas, on the other hand, will start eating if you're just led on the floor - still alive.

48. Crushed To Death: If It's Not The Head, It Varies

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Needless to say, if your head is crushed in an accident, this is instant death. If you're crushed in only one part of your body - like your abdomen if you're stuck between two objects - it can take a lot longer. Muscle cells will begin to die quickly, with blood flow cut off. After that, it's just a matter of time.

49. Dying From Embarrassment: 10 Minutes

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So you must have said at some point in your life that could die from how embarrassed you are - but did you know you actually can? In extreme cases of embarrassment, a person can suffer a huge surge of adrenaline from stress and anxiety than can cause a fatal heart attack!

50. The Persian 'Narrow Boat' Torture Method: Around 2 Weeks

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Okay, so we're throwing this one in for a bit of 'fun fact' history when it comes to medieval torture. The Persian Empire made a person lie in a covered boat with only their head free. They would then coat the head in milk and honey to tempt flies. The person would have to lie in their own filth after continually being fed and having no where to use a proper toilet. Then maggots would hatch and... eat the body. One man survived over 2 weeks of this torture before dying.

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