Life is uncertain. You never know when and where circumstances will land you in a life-threatening predicament. At such a crucial time, quick and clever tricks might lead you out to safety. Such tricks, a.k.a “life hacks,” have many a time saved peoples’ life.

For instance, Alexander Oboimov, an Arctic explorer and his team, was under an attack by a polar bear. One of his students dropped his gloves and fur hat in front of the bear, and the bear paused. He then removed his jacket and dropped it. The bear started sniffing all the stuff one by one. Meanwhile, Alexander and his team escaped to safety. Now, that’s how simple tricks help you get through the worst-case scenarios sometimes.

So, we’ve gathered the life hacks you must know, as these simple tricks might save your life one day!

1 Do not try to swim but try and keep your body up and just float when in danger of drowning.

Good swimmers can drown too. Even though you are a regular swimmer who has taken long courses to learn swimming from a professional trainer, you might find yourself struggling in the water when you end up entering a dangerously rough waterbody or take a risk that you shouldn’t. So, there’s no harm in learning a few tricks that can save you from drowning when in danger, irrespective of whether you are a good swimmer or a non-swimmer.

The first thing you must do when you find yourself close to drowning is “DO NOT PANIC.” Stay calm and avoid beating your arms and legs in the water, as this would submerge you deeper into the water. Instead, you must try and keep your body up and floating with your head above the water. Slowly move your legs and arms together or alternatively, to keep your body above the water. You must breathe slowly as breathing heavily will push your body down into the water and also make you feel exhausted. If you are a swimmer, you can try keeping your body on the surface of the water by floating on your back until someone comes to your rescue. (source)

2 Stay away from dead elephants and whales as they can explode!

Whales and elephants are among the world’s largest mammals. While you might get to see an elephant in zoos and wild safaris, not everybody is lucky enough to have a glimpse of a whale. So, when a dead whale washes up to a shore, many people are fascinated to have a look at the majestic animal.

But, one must never go too close to the corpse of a whale or other giant animal like an elephant. When such huge animals die, their bodies start rotting from within, and several gases are produced inside their body. Just like an overinflated balloon, the bodies of such deceased animals can explode. The huge explosion can turn out to be pretty harmful to the people surrounding the dead body. (source)

3 Sphagnum moss is a drinking water source.

If you are lost in the wilderness and don’t find any drinkable water around, you can actually look for sphagnum moss. It is usually found around the trees in the forest. It is safe and easy to extract water from moss. You just need to rip it off a tree and squeeze the water directly into your mouth. Sphagnum moss is acidic in nature, hence there’s hardly any chance of bacterial growth in it making it safe for consumption without boiling. It can also be used as a bandage on a wound. It has iodine that keeps the wound sterile and reduces the chance of infection. (source)

4 The star button on elevators indicates the most direct route to outside, usually the ground floor.

If you are in an elevator during an emergency and are looking for the closest exit, search for the star mark on the buttons. A star mark on the buttons of an elevator indicates the main entrance and exit or the most direct route to outside. It is usually the ground floor, but sometimes it’s the first floor. (source)

5 Pour cold water on forearms to avoid passing out in the outdoors due to heatstroke.

Working or playing in the sun for long hours can have several side effects. Exposing yourself to heat and bright light continuously for hours might lead to fatigue and weakness. Sometimes, you suddenly start feeling dizzy due to heatstroke, and here’s a trick you can use to avoid passing out in the outdoors.

Immediately look for cold water and pour it on your forearms, neck, or head. Immersing your hands in a bag full of ice would work wonders too! Such areas in the body have veins located very close to the surface of the skin. By pouring cold water on yourself, the blood inside the body gets cooled rapidly and travels to other parts, thereby lowering the body temperature quickly. This trick will help you tackle a minor heatstroke immediately. (source)