If you are dying or caring for someone who is dying, you may have questions about what the dying process will be like physically and emotionally. The following information will help you answer some questions.
Signs of approaching death
The process of dying is as diverse (individual) as the process of birth. It is impossible to predict the exact time of death and how exactly a person will die. But people facing death experience many of the same symptoms, regardless of the type of illness.
As death approaches, a person may experience some physical and emotional changes, such as:
A dying person may experience other symptoms depending on the disease. Talk to your doctor about what you can expect. You can also contact the program for helping the hopelessly ill, where all your questions regarding the dying process will be answered. The more you and your loved ones know, the more prepared you will be for this moment.
- Excessive drowsiness and weakness associated with approaching death
As death approaches, a person sleeps more and it becomes more and more difficult to wake up. Periods of wakefulness are becoming shorter and shorter.
As death approaches, your caregivers will notice that you are unresponsive and that you are in very deep sleep. This condition is called coma. If you are in a coma, you will be confined to a bed and all your physiological needs (bathing, turning, eating and urinating) will have to be supervised by someone else.
General weakness is a very common occurrence as death approaches. It is normal for a person to need assistance with walking, bathing, and going to the toilet. Over time, you may need help turning over in bed. Medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers or a hospital bed can be of great help during this period. This equipment can be rented from a hospital or care center for the terminally ill.
- Respiratory changes as death approaches
As death approaches, periods of rapid breathing may be followed by periods of breathlessness.
Your breath may become wet and congested. This is called the "death rattle." Changes in breathing usually occur when you are weak and normal secretions from your airways and lungs cannot be released.
Although noisy breathing may be a signal to your family, you probably won't feel any pain or notice any congestion. Since the fluid is deep in the lungs, it is difficult to remove it. Your doctor may prescribe oral tablets (atropine) or patches (scopolamine) to relieve congestion.
Your loved ones may turn you on your other side to help the discharge come out of your mouth. They can also wipe this discharge with a damp cloth or special tampons (you can ask for it at a help center for the hopelessly ill or buy it at pharmacies).
Your doctor may prescribe oxygen therapy to relieve your shortness of breath. Oxygen therapy will make you feel better, but will not prolong your life.
- Changes in vision and hearing as death approaches
Deterioration of vision is very common in the last weeks of life. You may notice that your vision has become difficult. You may see or hear things that no one else notices (hallucinations). Visual hallucinations are common before death.
If you are caring for a dying person who is hallucinating, you need to reassure them. Acknowledge what the person sees. Denying hallucinations can be distressing to a dying person. Talk to the person, even if he or she is in a coma. It is known that dying people can hear even when they are in a deep coma. People who came out of comas said that they could hear the entire time they were in the coma.
- Hallucinations
Hallucinations are the perception of something that is not actually there. Hallucinations can involve all the senses: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting or touching.
The most common hallucinations are visual and auditory. For example, a person may hear voices or see objects that another person cannot see.
Other types of hallucinations include gustatory, olfactory and tactile.
Treatment for hallucinations depends on the cause.
- ChangesappetiteWithapproachingof death
As death approaches, you are likely to eat and drink less. This is associated with a general feeling of weakness and a slower metabolism.
Since food has such important social significance, it will be difficult for your family and friends to watch you not eat. However, changes in metabolism mean that you do not need the same amount of food and fluid as before.
You can consume small amounts of food and liquid as long as you are active and able to swallow. If swallowing is a problem for you, you can prevent thirst by moistening your mouth with a damp cloth or a special swab (available at a pharmacy) soaked in water.
- Changes in the urinary and gastrointestinal systems as death approaches
Often the kidneys gradually stop producing urine as death approaches. As a result, your urine turns dark brown or dark red. This is due to the inability of the kidneys to properly filter urine. As a result, the urine becomes very concentrated. Its quantity is also decreasing.
As appetite decreases, some changes also occur in the intestines. The stool becomes harder and more difficult to pass (constipation) as the person takes in less fluid and becomes weaker.
You should tell your doctor if you have bowel movements less than once every three days or if your bowel movements cause you discomfort. Stool softeners may be recommended to prevent constipation. You can also use an enema to cleanse your colon.
As you become increasingly weak, it is natural that you find it difficult to control bladder and intestines. A urinary catheter may be placed in your bladder as a means of long-term urine drainage. Also, the program to help the hopelessly ill can provide toilet paper or underwear(They can also be purchased at the pharmacy).
- Changes in body temperature as death approaches
As death approaches, the area of the brain responsible for regulating body temperature begins to function poorly. You may have a high fever and then feel cold within a minute. Your hands and feet may feel very cold to the touch and may even become pale and blotchy. Changes in skin color are called mottled skin lesions and are very common in last days or hours of life.
The person caring for you can monitor your temperature by rubbing your skin with a wet, slightly warm washcloth or giving you the following medications:
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Ibuprofen (Advil)
- Naproxen (Aleve).
- Aspirin.
Many of these medications are available in the form of rectal suppositories if you have difficulty swallowing.
- Emotional changes as death approaches
Just as your body prepares physically for death, you must prepare for it emotionally and mentally.
As death approaches, you may lose interest in the world around you and certain details of daily life, such as the date or time. You may withdraw into yourself and communicate less with people. You may only want to communicate with a few people. This kind of introspection can be a way of saying goodbye to everything you knew.
In the days before your death, you may enter a unique state of conscious awareness and communication that may be misinterpreted by your family and friends. You can talk about how you need to go somewhere - “go home” or “go somewhere.” The meaning of such conversations is unknown, but some people think that such conversations help prepare for death.
Events from your recent past may be mixed with distant events. You can remember very long ago events in great detail, but not remember what happened an hour ago.
You may be thinking about people who have already died. You may say that you heard or saw someone who has already died. Your loved ones may hear you talking to the deceased person.
If you are caring for a dying person, you may be upset or frightened by this strange behavior. You may want to bring your loved one back to reality. If this kind of communication is bothering you, talk to your doctor to better understand what's going on. Your loved one may fall into a state of psychosis, and this may be scary for you to watch. Psychosis occurs in many people before death. It may have one cause or be the result of several factors. Reasons may include:
- Medicines such as morphine, sedatives and painkillers, or taking too much of a medicine that doesn't work well together.
- Metabolic changes associated with high temperature or dehydration.
- Metastasis.
- Deep depression.
Symptoms may include:
- Revival.
- Hallucinations.
- Unconscious state, which is replaced by revival.
Delirium tremens can sometimes be prevented by using alternative medicine, such as relaxation and breathing techniques, and other methods that reduce the need for sedatives.
Pain
Palliative care can help you relieve physical symptoms associated with your illness, such as nausea or difficulty breathing. Controlling pain and other symptoms is an important part of your treatment and improving your quality of life.
How often a person feels pain depends on their disease. Some fatal diseases, such as bone cancer or pancreatic cancer, can be accompanied by severe physical pain.
A person may become so afraid of pain and other physical symptoms that they may consider physician-assisted suicide. But the pain before death can be effectively dealt with. You should tell your doctor and loved ones about any pain. There are many medications and alternative methods (such as massage) that can help you cope with the pain of death. Be sure to ask for help. Ask a loved one to tell the doctor about your pain if you are unable to do so yourself.
You may want your family not to see you suffer. But it is very important to tell them about your pain if you cannot bear it so that they see a doctor immediately.
Spirituality
Spirituality means a person's awareness of the purpose and meaning of his life. It also denotes a person's relationship with higher powers or energy that gives meaning to life.
Some people don't think about spirituality often. For others, it is part of everyday life. As you approach the end of your life, you may be faced with your own spiritual questions and challenges. Connecting with religion often helps some people achieve comfort before death. Other people find solace in nature, social work, strengthening relationships with loved ones, or creating new relationships. Think about what can give you peace and support. What questions concern you? Seek support from friends, family, programs, and spiritual guides.
Caring for a dying relative
| Physician-assisted suicide
Physician-assisted suicide refers to the practice of medical professionals assisting a person who voluntarily chooses to die. This is usually done by prescribing a lethal dose of medication. Although the doctor is indirectly involved in the death of a person, he is not the direct cause of it. Oregon is currently the only state to have legalized physician-assisted suicide. A person with a terminal illness may consider suicide with the assistance of a physician. Among the factors that can cause such a decision are severe pain, depression and fear of dependence on other people. A dying person may consider himself a burden to his loved ones and not understand that his loved ones want to provide him with their help as an expression of love and sympathy. Often, a person with a terminal illness will consider physician-assisted suicide when their physical or emotional symptoms do not receive effective treatment. Symptoms associated with the dying process (such as pain, depression or nausea) can be controlled. Talk to your doctor and family about your symptoms, especially if your symptoms bother you so much that you think about dying. |
Control of pain and symptoms at the end of life
At the end of life, pain and other symptoms can be managed effectively. Talk to your doctor and loved ones about the symptoms you are experiencing. Family is an important link between you and your doctor. If you yourself cannot communicate with a doctor, your loved one can do this for you. There is always something that can be done to relieve your pain and symptoms so that you feel comfortable.
Physical pain
There are many painkillers available. Your doctor will choose the easiest and most atraumatic drug to relieve pain. Oral medications are usually used first because they are easier to take and less expensive. If your pain is not severe, painkillers can be purchased without a doctor's prescription. These include drugs such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen. It is important to stay ahead of your pain and take your medications as scheduled. Irregular use of medications is often the cause of ineffective treatment.
Sometimes pain cannot be controlled with over-the-counter medications. In this case, more effective forms of treatment are needed. Your doctor may prescribe painkillers such as codeine, morphine, or fentanyl. These medications can be combined with others, such as antidepressants, to help you get rid of your pain.
If you cannot take the pills, there are other forms of treatment. If you have trouble swallowing, you can use liquid medications. Medicines can also be in the form of:
- Rectal suppositories. Suppositories can be taken if you have trouble swallowing or nausea.
- Drops under the tongue. Just like nitroglycerin tablets or heart pain sprays, liquid forms of some substances, such as morphine or fentanyl, can be absorbed by the blood vessels under the tongue. These medications are given in very small quantities—usually just a few drops—and are an effective way to control pain for people who have trouble swallowing.
- Patches applied to the skin (transdermal patches). These patches allow painkillers, such as fentanyl, to pass through the skin. The advantage of patches is that you instantly receive the required dose of medication. These patches provide better pain control than pills. In addition, a new patch must be applied every 48 to 72 hours, and the tablets must be taken several times a day.
- Intravenous injections (drips). Your doctor may prescribe treatment with a needle inserted into a vein in your arm or chest if your pain is very severe and cannot be controlled with oral, rectal, or transdermal treatments. Medicines can be given as a single injection several times a day, or continuously in small quantities. Just because you are connected to an IV does not mean your activities will be limited. Some people carry small, portable pumps that provide small amounts of medication throughout the day.
- Injections into the area of the spinal nerves (epidural) or under the spinal tissue (intrathecal). For acute pain, strong painkillers such as morphine or fentanyl are injected into the spine.
Many people who suffer from severe pain fear that they will become dependent on painkillers. However, addiction rarely occurs in terminally ill people. If your condition improves, you can slowly stop taking the medicine to prevent dependence.
Painkillers can be used to manage the pain and help keep it at a tolerable level. But sometimes painkillers make you drowsy. You can only take a small amount of medication and therefore endure little pain and still remain active. On the other hand, perhaps weakness is not a big deal for you and you are not bothered by drowsiness caused by certain medications.
The main thing is to take medications on a specific schedule, and not just when “the need arises.” But even if you take medications regularly, you may sometimes feel severe pain. These are called "breakthrough pain." Talk to your doctor about what medications you should always have on hand to help manage breakthrough pain. And always tell your doctor if you stop taking your medicine. Stopping suddenly can cause serious side effects and severe pain. Talk to your doctor about ways to relieve pain without using drugs. Alternative medical therapy can help some people relax and get rid of pain. You can combine traditional treatment with alternative methods, such as:
- Acupuncture
- Aromatherapy
- Biofeedback
- Chiropractic
- Imaging
- Healing Touch
- Homeopathy
- Hydrotherapy
- Hypnosis
- Magnetotherapy
- Massage
- Meditation
For more detailed information, see the Chronic Pain section.
Emotional stress
While you are learning to cope with your illness, short-term emotional distress is normal. Depression that lasts more than 2 weeks is no longer normal and should be reported to your doctor. Depression can be treated even if you have a terminal illness. Antidepressants in combination with counseling from a psychologist will help you cope with emotional distress.
Talk to your doctor and family about your emotional distress. Although feelings of grief are a natural part of the dying process, this does not mean you have to endure severe emotional pain. Emotional suffering can make physical pain worse. They can also have a negative impact on your relationships with loved ones and prevent you from saying goodbye to them properly.
Other symptoms
As death approaches, you may experience other symptoms. Talk to your doctor about any symptoms you may experience. Symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, constipation or shortness of breath can be managed with medications, special diets and oxygen therapy. Have a friend or family member describe your symptoms to a doctor or emergency services worker. It can be helpful to keep a journal and write down all your symptoms.
Throughout life, the question of how a person dies of old age is of concern to most people. They are asked by the relatives of an old person, by the person himself who has crossed the threshold of old age. There is already an answer to this question. Scientists, doctors and enthusiasts have collected a wealth of information about this, based on the experience of numerous observations.
What happens to a person before death
It is not aging that is believed to cause death, given that old age itself is a disease. A person dies from a disease that the worn-out body is unable to cope with.
Brain reaction before death
How does the brain react when death approaches?During death, irreversible changes occur to the brain. Oxygen starvation and cerebral hypoxia occur. As a consequence of this, rapid death of neurons occurs. At the same time, even at this moment its activity is observed, but in the most important areas responsible for survival. During the death of neurons and brain cells, a person may experience hallucinations, both visual, auditory, and tactile.
Loss of energy
A person loses energy very quickly, so drips with glucose and vitamins are prescribed. An elderly dying person experiences a loss of energy potential. This results in longer periods of sleep and shorter periods of wakefulness. He constantly wants to sleep. Simple steps, such as moving around the room, exhausts a person and he soon goes to bed to rest. It seems that he is constantly sleepy or in a state of permanent drowsiness. Some people even experience energy exhaustion after simply socializing or thinking. This can be explained by the fact that the brain requires more energy than the body.
Failure of all body systems
- The kidneys gradually refuse to work, so the urine they secrete becomes brown or red.
- The intestines also stop working, which is manifested by constipation or absolute intestinal obstruction.
- The respiratory system fails, breathing becomes intermittent. This is also associated with a gradual failure of the heart.
- Failure of the circulatory system functions leads to pale skin. Wandering dark spots are observed. The first such spots are visible first on the feet, then on the whole body.
- Hands and feet become icy.
What feelings does a person experience when dying?
Most often, people are not even concerned about how the body manifests itself before death, but about how it feels an old man, realizing that he was about to die. Karlis Osis, a psychologist in the 1960s, conducted global research on this topic. Doctors and medical staff from departments caring for dying people helped him. There were 35,540 deaths recorded. Based on observations of them, conclusions were drawn that have not lost their relevance to this day.
Before death, 90% of dying people do not feel fear. It turned out that dying people had no fear. There was discomfort, indifference and pain. Every 20th person experienced elation. According to other studies, the older a person is, the less afraid he is of dying. For example, one social survey of older people showed that only 10% of respondents admitted to fear of death.
What do people see as they approach death?
Before death, people experience hallucinations that are similar to each other. During visions, they are in a state of clarity of consciousness, the brain worked normally. Moreover, he did not respond to sedatives. Body temperature was also normal. On the verge of death, most people had already lost consciousness.
Often, visions during brain shutdown are associated with the most vivid memories of life. Mostly, the visions of most people are associated with the concepts of their religion. Anyone who believed in hell or heaven saw corresponding visions. Non-religious people have seen beautiful visions related to nature and living fauna. More people saw their deceased relatives calling them to move on to the next world. The people observed in the study suffered from different diseases, had different levels of education, belonged to different religions, and there were also convinced atheists among them.
Often the dying person hears various sounds, mostly unpleasant. At the same time, he feels himself rushing towards the light, through the tunnel. Then, he sees himself as separate from his body. And then he is met by all the dead people close to him who want to help him.
Scientists cannot give an exact answer about the nature of such experiences. They usually find a connection with the process of dying neurons (vision of a tunnel), brain hypoxia and the release of a hefty dose of endorphin (vision and feeling of happiness from the light at the end of the tunnel).
How to recognize the arrival of death?
Signs of a person dying are listed below. The question of how to understand that a person is dying of old age is of concern to all relatives of a loved one. To understand that the patient is about to die very soon, you need to pay attention to the following signs:
- The body refuses to function (incontinence of urine or feces, color of urine, constipation, loss of strength and appetite, refusal of water).
- Even if you have an appetite, you may experience a loss of ability to swallow food, water, and your own saliva.
- Loss of the ability to close the eyelids due to critical exhaustion and sunken eyeballs.
- Signs of wheezing during unconsciousness.
- Critical jumps in body temperature - either too low or critically high.
Important! These signs do not always indicate the arrival of the mortal end. Sometimes they are symptoms of diseases. These signs apply only to old people, the sick and the infirm.
Video: how does a person feel when he dies?
Conclusion
You can find out more about what death is in
What to expect and how to respond to the process of natural death.
No one can predict the moment of death. But doctors and nurses who care for the dying know certain symptoms of a dying body. These signs of approaching death are inherent in the process of natural dying (as opposed to symptoms of certain diseases that a person may suffer from).
Not all symptoms of dying occur in every person, but most people experience some combination of the following symptoms in their final days or hours:
1. Loss of appetite
Energy needs are reduced. The person may resist or refuse to eat or drink at all, or only take small amounts of soft food (such as warm porridge). The first ones will probably refuse meat that is difficult to chew. Even your favorite foods are consumed in small quantities.
Just before death, a dying person may be physically unable to swallow.
Reaction: don't push it; Follow the person's wishes even though you may be concerned about losing interest in food. Offer ice chips periodically ( so in the text - ice chips - I don’t know what they are, translator’s note,perevodika.ru), a popsicle, or a sip of water. Use a damp, warm tissue to wipe around your mouth and apply lip balm to keep your lips moist and flexible.
2. Excessive fatigue and sleep
A person may begin to sleep most of the day and night as metabolism slows and decreased food and water intake contributes to dehydration. It becomes difficult to awaken him or her from sleep. Fatigue increases so much that understanding and perception of the surrounding environment begins to blur.
Reaction: let him sleep, do not wake or push the sleeping person. Assume that everything you say can be heard, as hearing is said to persist even when the person is unconscious, comatose, or otherwise unresponsive.
3. Increasing physical weakness
Decreased diet and lack of energy lead to a lack of physical strength to perform even such actions as lifting the head or moving on the bed. The person may have difficulty even taking a sip of water through a straw.
Response: Focus on making the person comfortable.
4. Brain confusion or disorientation
All organs, including the brain, begin to gradually fail. Higher order consciousness tends to change. "Only in rare cases do people remain fully conscious when they die," says palliative care physician Ira Biok, author of Dying Well.
The person may not know or understand where he or she is, or who else is in the room, talking to or responding to people who are not in the room (see "Passing Away: What to Expect When Witnessing a Loved One"s Death" - "Death: What to Expect When Being Present at the Death of a Loved One") may say seemingly meaningless things, may mix up the tenses, or may become restless and begin picking at the bed linen.
Response: Remain calm and comforting. Speak to the person softly, and identify yourself as you approach.
5. Difficulty breathing
Inhalation and exhalation become intermittent, irregular, and difficult. You can hear the specific “Cheyne-Stokes breathing”: a loud, deep inhalation, then a pause without breathing (apnea) lasting from five seconds to a minute, then a loud, deep exhalation and the cycle slowly repeats.
Sometimes the excessive secretions cause loud sounds in the throat when you inhale and exhale, what some people call the "death rattle."
Reaction: Stopping breathing or loud wheezing may alarm those present, but the dying person is not aware of this altered breathing; Focus on total comfort. Positions that can help: head or upper body, well supported, slightly raised on a pillow, or head or body lying down, tilted slightly to one side. Wipe your mouth with a damp cloth and moisturize your lips with lip balm or Vaseline.
If there is a lot of mucus, allow it to drain naturally from the mouth, as its selection may increase salivation. A humidifier in the room may help. Some people are given oxygen for comfort. Be calm, indicate your presence by stroking your hand or speaking soft words.
6. Withdrawal
As the body fails, the dying person may gradually lose interest in their surroundings. He or she may start mumbling unintelligibly or stop talking, stop answering questions, or simply turn away.
Sometimes, a few days before withdrawing for the last time, a dying person may startle his loved ones with a sudden outburst of anxious attention. This may last less than an hour or a whole day.
Response: Know that this is a natural part of the dying process and not a reflection of your relationship. Show your physical presence by touching the dying person and, if you feel the need, the need, then continue to talk without demanding an answer. if it feels appropriate, without asking for anything back. Cherish these moments of anxious attention if and when they happen, because they are almost always fleeting.
7. Changes in urination
A small entry (as the person loses interest in eating and drinking) means a small exit. Low blood pressure, part of the death process (and therefore not treated in this case like other symptoms), also contributes to kidney failure. Concentrated urine is brownish, reddish, or tea-colored.
In the later stages of dying, loss of bladder and bowel control may occur.
Response: Hospice providers sometimes decide that a catheter is needed, although not in the final hours of life. Kidney failure can increase the presence of toxins in the blood and contribute to a peaceful coma before death. Add a mattress pad, lay down new linen.
8. Swelling of the legs and ankles
Because the kidneys are unable to remove fluid, it can accumulate in parts of the body away from the heart - especially the legs and ankles. These areas, and sometimes also the hands and face, may become swollen and swollen.
Response: When the tumor appears directly related to the death process, usually no special treatment (eg diuretics) is used. (A tumor is the result of a natural death process, not its cause.)
9. Cooling hands and feet
Hours or minutes before death, circulation to the periphery of the body stops to help vital organs and therefore the extremities (arms, legs, fingers and toes) become cold. The nail beds may also appear pale or bluish.
Response: A warm blanket will help keep a person warm until he or she drifts off. The person may complain of heavy legs, so leave them uncovered.
10. Spotted Veins
One of the earliest signs of approaching death is that the skin, which was uniformly pale or ashen, develops many purplish/reddish/bluish spots. This is the result of reduced blood circulation. The first spots may appear on the soles of the feet.
Reaction: No special steps need to be taken.
Note: For different people, these general signs of impending death may appear in different sequences and in different combinations. If a person is on life support (respirator, feeding tube), the dying process may be different. The signs of death listed here describe the process of natural death.
What does a person experience when he dies? When does he realize that consciousness is leaving him? Will something unexpected happen as our lives come to an end? These questions have tormented philosophers and scientists for centuries, but the topic of death continues to concern every person to this day, reports NewScientist.com.
Death comes in different guises, but one way or another, it is usually an acute lack of oxygen in the brain. Whether people die from a heart attack, drowning or suffocation, it is ultimately due to a severe lack of oxygen to the brain. If the flow of newly oxidized blood to the head is stopped through any mechanism, the person will lose consciousness within about 10 seconds. Death will occur in a few minutes. How exactly depends on the circumstances.
1. Drowning
How quickly people drown is determined by several factors, including swimming ability and water temperature. In the UK, where the water is consistently cold, 55 per cent of drownings in open water occur within 3 meters of the shore. Two thirds of the victims are good swimmers. But a person can get into trouble within seconds, says Mike Tipton, a physiologist and expert at the University of Portsmouth in England.
As a rule, when the victim realizes that he will soon disappear under water, panic and floundering on the surface begin. Struggling to breathe, they are unable to call for help. This stage lasts from 20 to 60 seconds.
When victims eventually submerge, they do not inhale for as long as possible, usually between 30 and 90 seconds. After this, a certain amount of water is inhaled, the person coughs and inhales more. Water in the lungs blocks gas exchange in thin tissues, causing a sudden involuntary contraction of the muscles of the larynx - a reflex called laryngospasm. There is a feeling of tearing and burning in the chest as water passes through the respiratory tract. Then a feeling of calm sets in, indicating the beginning of loss of consciousness from lack of oxygen, which will ultimately lead to cardiac arrest and brain death.
2. Heart attack
Hollywood heart attack - sudden pain in the heart and immediate fall, of course, happens in several cases. But a typical myocardial infarction develops slowly and begins with moderate discomfort.
The most common symptom is chest pain, which may be long-lasting or come and go. This is how the heart muscle struggles for life and its death from oxygen deprivation. The pain can radiate to the jaw, throat, back, stomach and arms. Other signs: shortness of breath, nausea and cold sweat.
Most victims are in no hurry to seek help, waiting on average from 2 to 6 hours. It is more difficult for women, as they are more likely to experience and not respond to symptoms such as shortness of breath, pain radiating to the jaw, or nausea. Delay can cost your life. Most people who die from heart attacks simply don't make it to the hospital. Often the actual cause of death is cardiac arrhythmia.
About ten seconds after the heart muscle stops, the person loses consciousness, and a minute later he is dead. In hospitals, a defibrillator is used to make the heart beat, clear the arteries and administer drugs, which brings it back to life.
3. Fatal bleeding
How soon death from bleeding occurs depends on the wound, says John Kortbick at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. People can die from blood loss within seconds if the aorta is ruptured. This is the main blood vessel leading from the heart. Causes include a serious fall or car accident.
Death can occur within hours if another artery or vein is damaged. In this case, a person would go through several stages. The average adult has 5 liters of blood. Losing one and a half liters causes a feeling of weakness, thirst and anxiety and shortness of breath, and two - dizziness, confusion, and the person falls into an unconscious state.
4. Death by fire
Hot smoke and fire scorch eyebrows and hair and burn the throat and airways, making it impossible to breathe. Burns cause severe pain by stimulating the pain nerves in the skin.
As the burn area increases, sensitivity decreases somewhat, but not completely. Third degree burns do not damage as much as second degree wounds because the superficial nerves are destroyed. Some victims with severe burns reported feeling no pain while they were still in danger or engaged in rescuing others. Once the adrenaline and shock gradually wear off, pain quickly sets in.
Most people who die in fires actually die from poisonous carbon monoxide poisoning and lack of oxygen. Some people just don't wake up.
The rate at which headaches and drowsiness and unconsciousness appear depends on the size of the fire and the concentration of carbon monoxide in the air.
5. Decapitation
Execution is one of the fastest and least painful ways to die if the executioner is skilled, his blade is sharp and the condemned person sits still.
The most advanced decapitation technology is the guillotine. Officially adopted by the French government in 1792, it was recognized as more humane than other methods of taking life.
Maybe it's really fast. But consciousness is not lost immediately after the spinal cord is severed. A 1991 study on rats found that the brain remained alive for an additional 2.7 seconds by consuming oxygen from the blood in the head; the equivalent number for humans is approximately 7 seconds. If a person falls unsuccessfully under the guillotine, the time the pain is felt may be increased. In 1541, an inexperienced man made a deep wound in the shoulder rather than the neck of Margaret Paul, Countess of Salisbury. According to some reports, she jumped from the execution site and was chased by the executioner, who struck her 11 times before she died.
6. Electrocution
The most common cause of death from electric current is arrhythmia leading to cardiac arrest. Unconsciousness usually follows after 10 seconds, says Richard Trochman, a cardiologist at Onslaught University in Chicago. A study of electrocution deaths in Montreal, Canada, found that 92 percent died from arrhythmia.
If the voltage is high, then unconsciousness occurs almost immediately. The electric chair was supposed to cause instant loss of consciousness and painless death by passing current through the brain and heart.
Whether this actually happens is debatable. John Wickswo, a biophysicist at the University of Nashville, Tennessee, argues that thick, insulating skull bones would prevent sufficient current from passing through the brain, and prisoners could die from brain heating, or from suffocation due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles.
7. Falling from a height
This is one of the most quick ways die: the maximum speed is approximately 200 kilometers per hour, achieved when falling from a height of 145 meters or more. A study of fatal falls in Hamburg, Germany, found that 75 percent of victims died within seconds or minutes of landing.
Causes of death depend on the landing site and the position of the person. People are unlikely to reach the hospital alive if they fall headfirst. In 1981, 100 fatal jumps from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco were analyzed. It has a height of 75 meters, the speed when colliding with water is 120 kilometers per hour. These are the two main causes of instant death. The result of a fall is a massive contusion of the lung, a rupture of the heart, or damage to the main blood vessels and lungs by broken ribs. Landing on your feet significantly reduces injury and can save lives.
8. Hanging
The method of suicide and the old-fashioned method of execution is death by strangulation; the rope puts pressure on the trachea and arteries leading to the brain. Unconsciousness may occur for 10 seconds, but will take longer if the loop is not positioned correctly. Witnesses to public hangings often reported victims "dancing" in pain in the noose for several minutes! In some cases - after 15 minutes.
In England in 1868 they adopted the “long fall” method, which involved a longer rope. The victim reached speeds during the hanging that broke her neck.
9. Lethal injection
Lethal injection was developed in Oklahoma in 1977 as a humane alternative to the electric chair. The state medical examiner and the chairman of anesthesiology agreed to administer three drugs almost simultaneously. First, the anesthetic thiopental is administered to avoid any feeling of pain, then the paralytic agent pansuronium is administered to stop breathing. Finally, potassium chloride stops the heart almost immediately.
Each drug is supposed to be administered in a lethal dose, excessive to ensure a quick and humane death. However, witnesses reported convulsions and an attempt by the convict to sit during the procedure, meaning the administration of drugs does not always give the desired result.
10. Explosive decompression
Death due to exposure to vacuum occurs when the vestibule depressurizes or the spacesuit ruptures.
When external air pressure suddenly decreases, the air in the lungs expands, tearing the fragile tissues involved in gas exchange. The situation is aggravated if the victim forgets to exhale before decompression or tries to hold his breath. Oxygen begins to leave the blood and lungs.
Experiments on dogs in the 1950s showed that 30 to 40 seconds after the pressure was released, their bodies began to swell, although their skin prevented them from "tearing." At first, the heart rate increases, then sharply decreases. Water vapor bubbles form in the blood and travel throughout the circulatory system, impeding the flow of blood. After a minute, the blood stops effectively participating in gas exchange.
Survivors of decompression accidents are mostly pilots whose planes depressurized. They reported sharp chest pain and an inability to breathe. After about 15 seconds they lost consciousness.
Nobody wants to think about what will happen beyond a certain “limit”, but the problem is that Not a single person in the whole world has yet escaped death.. So for general development it is worth finding out how a person feels when he dies and says goodbye to life. Perhaps such knowledge will help make someone's care easier.
Awareness of mortality
People become aware of their mortality even in childhood, and for many this fact comes as a real shock:
- Each of us is mortal, without any exceptions.
- The finiteness of life's path equalizes, in a sense, representatives of all social groups.
- A person has only a short period of time to realize his ambitions.
- Real talents leave behind memories that live for centuries, and sometimes even millennia.
But no one can say with 100% certainty what awaits a person after the death of the physical body. Is there an afterlife, is it possible for souls to be transmigrated? There are a huge number of beliefs in the world, each of which defends its own point of view. But everyone cannot be right at the same time; someone is certainly wrong.
Awareness of one's own mortality can cause panic attacks at any age. An unstable psyche combined with a huge psychological burden will not give the most pleasant result.
Fortunately, with the help of therapy, including medication, such disorders have been successfully treated for decades.
What to do if a person dies at home?
At home the whole range emergency care You won’t be able to help a person, but it’s still worth trying. If a person is on the verge of life and death:
- Get rid of the threatening factor, if present. This should be clear, but still, during a fire, you should first remove the person from the affected area, and only then provide medical assistance.
- Remove all strangers from the premises, ensure normal ventilation of the room, remove the person from clothing that may make breathing difficult.
- Try perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Cross your palms and place them on your sternum, apply intense pressure without bending your elbows. After every 3 pressures, inhale air into his lungs through his mouth or nose. You should first clear the airways and make sure they are clear. It is better to place a pillow under your neck.
- If there is bleeding, it should be done as quickly as possible. stop. If a limb is damaged, pull it with a tourniquet above the injury. If the wound is on the body, press it with your hand, cloth or napkins.
No more than 19% of people who have been on the verge of death come back to life. So don't blame yourself if something didn't work out for you.
From a legal point of view, no problems should arise if the death was not violent. The called ambulance team will arrive and record the fact of death, and they will also take the body.
How does a person feel before death?
In many ways, the last sensations depend on what was the cause of death:
- In case of drowning in the last seconds a person feels a bursting pain in the lungs and an irresistible desire to take a breath. This is due to a lack of oxygen and stimulation of the respiratory center in the brain. But inhaling will not bring relief, but will only fill the lungs with water and cause agony. However, many drowned people die from shock and cardiac arrest even before water enters.
- In case of fires victims most often die from the effects of carbon monoxide. Gradually, with each breath, consciousness becomes more and more confused and the person simply loses consciousness. Next, breathing slows down, becomes shallow, and then disappears altogether.
- The mechanism is somewhat similar for bleeding. The victim quickly loses orientation in space, feels insurmountable weakness and loses consciousness. Death occurs due to failure of the cardiovascular system.
- For injuries sensations vary depending on their number, severity and location. In not the most successful cases, extreme pain leads to the development of shock and cardiac arrest. But more often than not, the lungs gradually fail, it becomes harder to breathe, and the heart slows down.
At what temperature does a person die?
The world knows of cases where people survived even at extremely low or high body temperatures. But this is rare, not everyone is so hardy and lucky. More often the story ends a little sadder:
- High fever is usually associated with poisoning and infections. However, it can also be caused by injuries or burns.
- The danger for humans lies in the fact that after exceeding a certain temperature threshold, proteins in the body are destroyed. Blood proteins are the first to suffer.
- If the temperature exceeded 42.5°C, this is a sure sign that without medical care the person may die in the coming hours. In this case, death does not occur instantly and there is still a small margin of time to provide assistance.
- Low temperatures are no less dangerous for the body. But sudden drops in temperature are less common. It mainly develops due to hypothermia.
- Cannot function normally at certain temperatures the cardiovascular system, blood flow slows down, peripheral tissues die, and due to lack of blood and oxygen, the brain simply “turns off.”
- All this happens when the body temperature drops below 26.5°C.
- In such a small range of 16 degrees a person can live and feel relatively comfortable.
What happens to the soul when a person dies?
All religious teachings say that:
- Death affects only the physical shell.
- The human soul is immortal and is no longer connected to the earthly body.
- At the “trial,” all the actions of the deceased are weighed, and his future fate is determined.
- Paradise is prepared for the righteous; in the Garden of Eden, their souls sing in the most beautiful choir and glorify life itself and God.
- Hell is the final destination for sinners, where they are subject to eternal torment.
- The subsequent incarnation of the soul, according to Buddhists, also depends on the actions committed during life.
- If you believe the atheists, death is the “final stop”, there is no soul, and after that only oblivion awaits a person.
Who to believe and whose side to take is everyone’s business. In this regard, it is better to come to some answers on your own, without outside help.
How do people die?
In most cases, death occurs due to acute cardiac or pulmonary failure. The mechanism of dying itself is not much different, despite the many reasons that can lead to the final result.
More often:
- The person experiences overwhelming fear. Panic from the realization that the end is approaching.
- There is pain behind the sternum, some kind of heaviness constrains the chest.
- The heartbeat quickens, you can already feel it without even putting your hand on it.
- Every second it becomes harder to breathe, you need to make an effort to take another breath.
- Consciousness becomes confused, the whole world begins to float.
- Oblivion comes.
Thanks to reanimated people, we can know exactly what a person feels when they die. But we still don’t know what awaits there after death.
Video about the feelings of those dying of hunger
In this video, Dr. Petrenko will tell you what a person feels in the last minutes of life, dying of hunger:
