Conserve your fluids by reducing activity during the heat of day. If you try to ration water, you stand a good chance of becoming a heat casualty. Your chances of becoming a heat casualty as a survivor are great, due to injury, stress, and lack of critical items of equipment. Following are the major types of heat casualties and their treatment when little water and no medical help are available. The loss of salt due to excessive sweating causes heat cramps.
Symptoms are moderate to severe muscle cramps in legs, arms, or abdomen.
These symptoms may start as a mild muscular discomfort. You should now stop all activity, get in the shade, and drink water. If you fail to recognize the early symptoms and continue your physical activity, you will have severe muscle cramps and pain. Treat as for heat exhaustion , below. A large loss of body water and salt causes heat exhaustion.