What if You Didn’t Leave the Pool for 30 Days

**Sanitized Transcript:**

Imagine the scene. You’re home alone in your house. Your nearest neighbor is a mile away. Today, you’re feeling a bit tipsy and decide to swim in your outdoor pool to cool off from the summer heat. However, you dive into the shallow end and break both arms. With no ladders in the pool, you find yourself stuck. Whether you survive or not, you’re going to spend a month in this pool. How’s that going to work out for you? Not as you’d expect, we imagine.

This scenario is not out of the realm of possibility. A research paper published by the National Institutes of Health discussed spinal injuries that occurred when individuals dove into swimming pools. The paper examined 34 such injuries in the US from 1996 to 2006, revealing that 33 out of the 34 cases involved males. Notably, 88% of these incidents occurred between June and August. The average age of the patients was 27 years old (ranging from 13 to 49). The injuries led to 11 divorces and 7 job losses.

Spinal and head injuries are the most common when diving into water, and if you can sustain that kind of damage to your neck, you can certainly break your wrists or arms. A study published in the Nature Journal confirmed that “broken arm and damaged shoulder” were among the injuries listed in 72 cases. Alcohol was also a factor, with 52 of the cases involving diving into shallow water (5 feet or less).

In your case, you don’t drown, unlike the 3,500 to 4,000 Americans who drown each year, or the 236,000 reported by the WHO globally. On average, 11 Americans drown daily, with about 22 non-fatal drownings occurring each day, totaling around 8,000 annually. In the US, 80% of drowning deaths are males, which the CDC attributes to “increased exposure to water, risk-taking behaviors, and alcohol use.”

If you’re African American and under 29, you have twice the chance of drowning compared to white individuals in that age group. For those aged 25 to 29, the CDC states that Black individuals drown at 3.5 times the rate of their white counterparts. Additionally, “In swimming pools, Black children ages 10-14 drown at rates 7.6 times higher than white children.” According to the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 64% of African-American children cannot swim, compared to 40% of Caucasian children. The Swimming Foundation also noted that if a parent can’t swim, there’s only a 13% chance their children will learn to swim.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that about 4,900 people in the US visit the ER yearly due to swimming pool injuries, with around 390 fatalities occurring in swimming pools each year. A significant concern is circulation entrapment, where a person’s hair, body part, or swimsuit gets stuck in a pool drain or suction pipe. In 2012, a Canadian man was stuck in a swimming pool for three days when his ponytail got caught in a pipe. There have been other cases where individuals were stuck with their heads above water for extended periods without rescue.

How many people actually get stuck in pools for a long time? There was a case of a 61-year-old woman in New Hampshire who, in 2017, was trying to exit her pool when the stairs broke. With no one home, she managed to use a pool pole to reach her iPad and post a message on Facebook asking for help.

Now, let’s consider your situation: you with broken arms and no way out. First, you’d need to drink. Humans can generally survive without water for about three days, but eventually, you’ll need it. Fortunately, you’re surrounded by water. A small pool might contain 8,500 gallons, while many household pools have 18,000-20,000 gallons. However, pool water is not the same as tap water; it contains various chemicals, including chlorine. While small amounts of chlorine are safe, large amounts can cause digestive distress or affect the nervous and respiratory systems.

Pools can expose you to bacteria and parasites. The CDC estimates that each person brings about 0.14 grams of fecal matter into a pool. Research indicates that public pools may contain about 20 gallons of urine, while private pools might have around two gallons. This may not be a concern initially, but over time, the dirty water can affect your health.

You might not die from dehydration immediately, but heat could become a problem. Water conducts heat away from your body much faster than air. If your body temperature drops below 95°F (35°C), you enter the early stages of hypothermia. If it falls further, you risk severe health issues. The alcohol you consumed could exacerbate this, as it causes blood vessels to expand, leading to faster heat loss.

If the water temperature is above 80°F (27°C), you may avoid hypothermia, but you’re still at risk. The outside temperature also matters, but let’s assume it’s warm. If the water reaches your nipples, you may feel warm for a while, but you’re not out of danger. After a day submerged, your skin may start to wrinkle, a process known as pruning, which occurs due to the absorption of water by dead skin cells.

After several days, this wrinkling can become severe. Studies show that prolonged exposure to water can lead to skin issues like dermatitis. The chemicals in pool water can also irritate your skin over time. Fortunately, you can walk around, which helps prevent muscle atrophy. You’ll need to engage in light physical and mental exercises to maintain your sanity.

However, sleep deprivation will become a significant challenge. Most people start to hallucinate after just a few nights without sleep. The longest recorded period without sleep is around 11 days, but it’s unclear if those individuals experienced micro-sleeps. In your case, you could lean against the pool’s edge and take short naps, but there’s a risk of drowning if you fall asleep with your head underwater.

After about 15 days, the lack of food will start to affect you, leading to light-headedness and weakened immunity. Health experts suggest that people can survive without food for 30 to 50 days, but the risk of illness increases significantly. By day 20, your skin’s protective barrier may be compromised, making you more susceptible to infections.

As you approach day 30, you may be covered in sores and at high risk of developing sepsis, a severe response to infection. Many people die from sepsis each year, and your situation is particularly precarious. By day 30, you’ve survived, but you’re in a dire state, having lost significant weight and facing severe health challenges.

Despite the odds, you’ve managed to stay somewhat mentally alert and hydrated. As you’re rescued from the pool, you look frail and unwell, but you’ve proven that survival is possible under extreme circumstances. Now, you might want to check out other survival stories or learn about extraordinary events.