Hi,

Last night I taught a very basic Wilderness Survival class to the new members of our local youth group (ages 12 to 14).

The class involved a discussion on what is a survival situation, what to do when you find yourself in one (e.g. S.T.O.P.), what are the priorities of survival, what equipment assists survival and it ended with the teens assembling there own small personal survival kit. (See this previous post for the kit contents http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=9218&Number=100560#Post100560 )

When discussing Survival Priorities I use the "Rule of 3's" to help the kids understand what is the most important element at anytime in a survival situation. I list; 3 seconds, 3 minutes, 3 hours, 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months and 3 years on the blackboard and have the students suggest (on average) what aspect of life a person requires within that timeframe (e.g. 3 minutes without air, 3 weeks without food).

I find this discussion really helps the kids focus on what is important for survival (although I often get answers like "my MP3 player" or "a shower"). One bright student last evening suggested that sleep was required by the body within 3 days; I had to both agree and disagree with him. I know people have gone much longer that 3 days without sleep but that the frequency of accidents is greatly increased.

So wanting to improve my future presentations I Googled "Sleep Deprivation" today to find out if a person can actually die from not sleeping. I found that sleep deprivation has been linked to many health concerns; obesity, diabeties, infection, depression, accidents, memory loss, poor learning,..., but only found one brief reference where mammals (lab mice after 3 weeks) actually died.

I know many members of this forum are/have been in the military or worked in professions where sleep deprivation is common (e.g. emergency services, shift work) and I would appreciate hearing about your sleepless experiences so hopefully I can include the "need for sleep in a survival situation" into my presentations.

Thanks,

Mike