meerodi
I actually noticed this very issue in my story a couple days ago :I Not only did I ignore all basic need of hygiene, I've also made then wander through a forest for approximately twenty hours after only a few hours of sleep the night before and nearly no food except for an ultra watery fruit .-. But as soon as I realized what I was doing I made one of my characters pass out and another sleep for the entirety of the next day.
The closest I've been to even touching on the bathroom issue was mentioning that there was a bathroom in the house they were staying at. Of course, they're back to wandering through the woods again. hmm
actually - that's not terrible if you are looking for adventure and hardship. A person can survive up to 40 days without any food at all, and after the first 3 days you stop being hungry (I happen to know this from experience unfortunately), although you may continue to be plagued by headaches.
And being lost in a forest for 20 hours after only a few hours of sleep? Yeah - done that plenty too. In the snow. You know what I did? I went ice fishing and built a shelter out of fallen pine boughs, some rope, and a poncho. Or better yet - being lost in the woods on a mountain on a nearly moonless night. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find your way when all you can see is black and blacker? But look at me - I'm still alive and well.
3nodding
two days lost in the woods is not a huge deal when it comes down to it. If the only obstacle is just to survive being lost, it's not a problem. Add in bad weather, predators, enemies, treacherous conditions, fear/panic, injuries, illness - anything like that can make it bad. But walking around in the woods for two days on only a couple hours sleep and a few bites of food does not warrant an extreme need for recovery.
So in summary - do whatever the hell you want with them. It'll take a lot more than that to kill them! Make their lives hard! It'll be more fun. ;P
My character gets lost in the desert for 2 weeks before he is rescued by some nomads.