Humans Effects From Deserts

Spending too much time in a hot, desolate desert with no food or water can be a serious problem ultimately resulting in death. This serious heat exposure with no water will result in dehydration that can cause a number of serious and life threatening effects on the body.

Elevated Heart Rate

• The loss of bodily fluid causes your heart to pump at a much faster rate in order to try and move what fluid is left in your body to the areas which desperately need it. This increased heart rate puts much more pressure on the heart muscle. With the stress of being dehydrated and incredibly hot, it can ultimately result in the person having a heart attack.

Confusion

• In a desert there is nothing but endless sand dunes with no life to see for miles. This emptiness when combined with heat exhaustion and fluid loss can cause the individual to feel lost within their surroundings and become incredibly confused. Although this might not seem like a life-threatening situation, this confusion makes it much less likely that they will be able to move in a coherent direction in order to protect themselves as best they can in their search for help.

Shriveled Skin

• The considerable lack of fluid within your body causes your skin to become dry and eventually shrivel up. While this isn't the most serious result of dehydration in a desert, the lack of fluid in the skin will cause your skin to burn and blister at a considerably heightened rate. This is a serious issue which will be incredibly painful.

Unconsciousness

• A lack of water, food and the incredible strain which constant heat and light puts on your body can result in the person passing out and becoming unconscious. This scenario is incredibly dangerous either if the person is alone or part of a group; taking care of an unconscious person will slow down the group's movement, increasing the time it will take for the individual to get vital medical assistance.