Survival Tips – How to Stop Bleeding

You should never attempt a trip to the wilderness unless you are fully prepared with equipment and knowledge about first aid.

This is essential in order to ensure that you can handle a variety of different emergency situations and prevent problems from going out of hand. It is very easy for problems to escalate, especially if they include bleeding.

Your knowledge of how to stop bleeding can save the life of a person because you will be able to stem the flow until help arrives.

The loss of a single liter of blood can cause symptoms of mild shock in a person. If the blood loss approaches 3 liters the person usually dies.

Arterial blood is usually bright red in color and it gushes out of the body in spurts. This is because it comes directly from the heart and is being pushed out in rhythm to the heart beat.

Blood from the veins is usually darker or bluish in color and it does not gush out quite so fast. Venous bleeding is usually very easy to control because of this reason.

You need to always have a good first aid kit wherever you go, and it is especially important in the wilderness.

This should consist of sterile bandages and gauze in addition to other things. Many people also carry heavy duty sanitary napkins because they are very effective at absorbing a great deal of blood.

The first thing you should do in order to stop a person bleeding is to keep the wounded area at an elevation so that it is above the level of your heart.

This is extremely important since it is the pumping action of the heart that forces blood through the arteries and veins and out of a wound.

The person should be made to lie down because this helps to calm him down. If the person is agitated, his heart will pump faster, thereby pushing more blood through the wound.

You should then apply some pressure on the pulse point that exists closest to the bleeding area. This can be done with the help of clean gauze or a sanitary napkin or even with an item of clothing folded to become thick. 




In extreme situations, you should use a tourniquet above the wound so that supply of blood from the heart is regulated.

Make sure that the tourniquet is not too tight because it should never cut the blood circulation to that part of the body entirely.

You should also apply digital pressure on the pressure point that is between the wound and the heart.

Only after the bleeding has stopped should you attempt to clean the wound. Never make the mistake of removing any foreign body which is embedded in the wound because it might cause the bleeding to start all over again and the victim can hardly afford to lose a lot of blood.

Many times, the embedded article blocks the arteries and veins, thereby preventing further loss of blood. You should build up padding around the embedded object and then only bandage the wound shut.

You should also disinfect the wound at this time of bandaging it shut.

Use a pressure bandage if you have one because this will help the wound recover very fast. These tips will help you handle almost any bleeding situation until help arrives.

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