We humans are more resilient than we think in many ways. Although our body seems very fragile, it pushes its limits as much as possible when it comes to survival. In fact, like all other examples of life, we humans are focused on survival and we do our best for it. What would you say if I asked you if you want to know your limits?
Although we are very resilient creatures as humans, we also have our limits. Today we’re going to explain to you what limits the human body will be pushed to, from the hottest air to the fastest acceleration we can handle. Let’s move on to the content that will make us know our own limits better.
If the conditions are right, a person can survive for up to a week without drinking water.
Of course, the “1 week period” here is conditional. It will be very difficult to take off even the 2nd day in a very hot environment. The body expels heat through sweat, that is, through water. For this reason, it is necessary to constantly take new water into the body. There are cases that can survive for 1 week without drinking water in conditions where the ambient temperature is low and there is no mobility. If the body is dehydrated for 1 week, even if there is no death, irreversible damage to the organs may occur.
Humans can survive temperatures up to 55 degrees Celsius.
Of course, this brings with it many parameters such as the humidity in the air, the clothes you wear, the angle of the sun rays and how much you are exposed to these rays. If a human body has consumed enough water, it can survive up to 55 degrees Celsius. In such a serious temperature, your body will sweat constantly to cool itself. For this reason, you need to drink water very often.
According to research, after spending 10 minutes in a humid environment of 60 degrees Celsius, your body begins to experience hyperthermia. Especially if there is humidity along with the temperature, things get even more difficult. Because in humid weather, it is much more difficult to sweat, which is our natural air conditioner. For this reason, we can withstand high temperatures in a dry weather much more comfortably if we have enough water with us and we can sweat regularly.
The Lut Desert video recently published by Ruhi Cenet Medya, one of the successful YouTube channels in our country, shows us very well how these temperatures can be. You can watch that video right below.
1 human can withstand accelerations of 46.2G.
The human body can maintain its integrity against 46.2G acceleration. The important thing here is how long this G-force lasts. Max Verstappen, who had an accident in a Formula 1 race, was subjected to 51G of force. The record at this point was set by Kenny Bräck, who crashed in an IndyCar race. Bräck survived the crash that caused the 214G acceleration. It is possible to encounter more than 100 G forces in traffic accidents, but since these forces are short-lived, not every accident is fatal.
Accident causing 214G acceleration:
The average person can hold their breath for 2 minutes.
Within 2 minutes, the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood will increase. In the 3rd minute, your diaphragm contracts, forcing you to breathe, because at this point you start to damage your brain and your whole body. In the 5th minute, your muscles start to move uncontrollably with dizziness. Trying to hold your breath during these times can have deadly consequences. If you try to hold your breath in the water, you may find that you can last longer. Because your heart rate slows down in water and you need less oxygen. The record for holding your breath underwater belongs to Aleix Segura Vendrell with 24 minutes and 3 seconds. However, don’t try to hold your breath unless you have to or are in the presence of a qualified instructor.
The human body can withstand a body temperature of 40 degrees Celsius.
When the body temperature rises to 42 degrees, the cells begin to cook like egg whites on fire. The ideal temperature of our body is between 36-37 degrees. Between 38 and 40 degrees, microbes die. While our body is fighting these germs, we feel sick. If the body temperature rises above these degrees, organs, especially the brain, begin to be damaged. Our body’s natural air conditioning comes into play against the heat coming from external factors. This air conditioner is perspiration. People can balance their body temperature by sweating.
If a person is exposed to 5 Sieverts (Sv) worth of radiation, he will die in a short time.
The 5-6 Sv radiation we will receive in our body for a few minutes will destroy more cells than our body can repair. For example, it is thought that workers responding to the disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan received 0.4 to 1 Sv of radiation per hour. Although this value would not lead to short-term death, it did put them at risk of cancer throughout their lives.
1 person cannot withstand more than 10 minutes in -40 degrees cold.
It is very difficult to find the interval in which a person dies from the cold. Because at this point, there are other factors in addition to the ambient temperature. For example, the speed of the wind can make -40 degrees air feel like -60. If we give an average value, a person who does not dress very well will die when exposed to -40 degrees cold for 10 minutes. Of course, adaptability is also important here. The cold tolerance level of a person living in Russia and a person living in Africa will not be the same.
Today we explained to you how long people can endure which conditions. If you want more content like this, you can let us know in the comments section.
Source: 1, 2, 3