What a person experiences before death, where he goes. Feelings before 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, 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 study on rats in 1991 showed 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 fastest ways to 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.

The death of a person is a very sensitive topic for most people, but, unfortunately, each of us has to face it in one way or another. If the family has bedridden elderly or cancer-stricken relatives, it is necessary not only for the caregiver himself to mentally prepare for an imminent loss, but also to know how to help and make the last minutes of his loved one’s life easier.

A person who is bedridden for the rest of his life constantly experiences mental anguish. Being of sound mind, he understands what inconvenience he causes to others, and imagines what he will have to endure. Moreover, such people feel all the changes occurring in their body.

How does a sick person die? To understand that a person has several months/days/hours left to live, you need to know the main signs of death in a bedridden patient.

How to recognize the signs of impending death?

Signs of death of a bedridden patient are divided into initial and investigative. At the same time, some are the cause of others.

Note. Any of the following symptoms may be the result of long-term symptoms and there is a chance of reversing it.

Changing your daily routine

The daily routine of an immobile bedridden patient consists of sleep and wakefulness. The main sign that death is near is that a person is constantly immersed in a superficial sleep, as if dozing. During such a stay, a person feels less physical pain, but his psycho-emotional state seriously changes. The expression of feelings becomes scarce, the patient constantly withdraws into himself and remains silent.

Swelling and changes in skin color

The next reliable sign that death is imminent is the appearance of various spots on the skin. Before death, these signs appear in the body of a dying bedridden patient due to disruption of the functioning of the circulatory system and metabolic processes. Spots occur due to uneven distribution of blood and fluids in the vessels.

Problems with the senses

Elderly people often have problems with vision, hearing and tactile sensations. In bedridden patients, all diseases become aggravated due to constant severe pain, damage to organs and the nervous system, as a result of circulatory disorders.

Signs of death in a bedridden patient manifest themselves not only in psycho-emotional changes, but also the external image of the person certainly changes. You can often observe the so-called “cat's eye”. This phenomenon is associated with a sharp drop in eye pressure.

Loss of appetite

As a result of the fact that a person practically does not move and spends most of the day sleeping, a secondary sign of approaching death appears - the need for food decreases significantly, and the swallowing reflex disappears. In this case, in order to feed the patient, a syringe or probe is used, glucose is used, and a course of vitamins is prescribed. As a result of the fact that a bedridden patient does not eat or drink, the general condition of the body worsens, problems with breathing, the digestive system and “going to the toilet” appear.

Violation of thermoregulation

If the patient experiences a change in the color of the limbs, the appearance of cyanosis and venous spots, death is inevitable. The body uses up its entire energy supply to maintain the functioning of its main organs, reducing blood circulation, which in turn leads to paresis and paralysis.

General weakness

In the last days of life, a bedridden patient does not eat, experiences severe weakness, he cannot move independently or even get up to relieve himself. His body weight decreases sharply. In most cases, bowel movements can occur arbitrarily.

Changes in consciousness and memory problems

If the patient develops:

• memory problems;
• sudden change in mood;
• attacks of aggression;
• Depression means damage and death of the areas of the brain responsible for thinking. A person does not react to the people around him and the events taking place, and carries out inappropriate actions.

Predagonia

Predagonia is a manifestation of the body’s defensive reaction in the form of stupor or coma. As a result, metabolism decreases, breathing problems appear, and necrosis of tissues and organs begins.

Agony

Agony is a dying state of the body, a temporary improvement in the physical and psycho-emotional state of the patient, caused by the destruction of all life processes in the body. A bedridden patient before death may notice:

• improved hearing and vision;
• normalization of respiratory processes and heartbeat;
• clear consciousness;
• reduction of pain.

Symptoms of clinical and biological death

Clinical death is a reversible process that appears suddenly or after a serious illness and requires urgent medical attention. Signs of clinical death that appear in the first minutes:

If a person is in a coma, attached to a ventilator, and the pupils are dilated due to the action of medications, then clinical death can only be determined by the results of an ECG.

If timely assistance is provided, within the first 5 minutes, you can bring a person back to life. If you provide artificial support for blood circulation and breathing later, you can return the heart rate, but the person will never regain consciousness. This is due to the fact that brain cells die earlier than the neurons responsible for the vital functions of the body.

A dying bedridden patient may not show signs before death, but clinical death will be recorded.

Biological or true death is the irreversible cessation of the functioning of the body. Biological death occurs after clinical death, so all primary symptoms are similar. Secondary symptoms appear within 24 hours:

• cooling and numbness of the body;
• drying of mucous membranes;
• the appearance of cadaveric spots;
• tissue decomposition.

Behavior of a dying patient

In the last days of their lives, dying people often remember what they have lived through, telling the most vivid moments of their lives in all the colors and details. Thus, a person wants to leave as much good things about himself as possible in the memory of his loved ones. Positive changes in consciousness lead to the fact that a bedridden person tries to do something, wants to go somewhere, while being indignant that he has very little time left.

Such positive changes in mood are rare; most often, dying people fall into deep depression and become aggressive. Doctors explain that mood changes may be associated with taking strong narcotic painkillers, the rapid development of the disease, the appearance of metastases and horse races.

A bedridden patient before death, being bedridden for a long time, but in a healthy mind, ponders his life and actions, evaluates what he and his loved ones will have to endure. Such reflections lead to changes in the emotional background and mental balance. Some of these people lose interest in what is happening around them and in life in general, others become withdrawn, and still others lose their minds and ability to think sensibly. The constant deterioration of health leads to the fact that the patient constantly thinks about death and asks to alleviate his situation through euthanasia.

How to ease the suffering of a dying person

Bedridden patients, people after injury or those with cancer most often experience severe pain. To block these symptoms, the attending physician prescribes strong painkillers. Many painkillers can only be purchased with a prescription (for example, Morphine). To prevent the development of dependence on these drugs, it is necessary to constantly monitor the patient’s condition and change the dosage or stop taking the drug if an improvement occurs.

How long can a bedridden patient live? No doctor will give an exact answer to this question. A relative or guardian caring for a bedridden patient needs to be with him around the clock. To further and alleviate the suffering of the patient, special means should be used - beds,. To distract the patient, you can place a TV, radio or laptop next to his bed; it is also worth getting a pet (cat, fish).

Most often, relatives, having learned that their relative is in need, refuse him. Such bedridden patients end up in hospitals, where everything falls on the shoulders of the workers of these institutions. Such an attitude towards a dying person not only leads to his apathy, aggression and isolation, but also aggravates his health. In medical institutions and boarding houses, there are certain standards of care, for example, each patient is allocated a certain amount of disposable products (diapers, nappies), and bedridden patients are practically deprived of communication.

When caring for a bedridden relative, it is important to choose an effective method of alleviating suffering, provide him with everything he needs and constantly worry about his well-being. Only in this way can his mental and physical torment be reduced, as well as prepare for his inevitable death. You cannot decide everything for a person; it is important to ask his opinion about what is happening, to provide a choice in certain actions. In some cases, when there are only a few days left to live, it is possible to cancel a number of heavy medications that cause inconvenience to a bedridden patient (antibiotics, diuretics, complex vitamin complexes, and hormonal agents). It is necessary to leave only those medications and tranquilizers that relieve pain and prevent the occurrence of convulsions and vomiting.

Brain reaction before death

In the last hours of a person’s life, his brain activity is disrupted, numerous irreversible changes appear as a result of oxygen starvation, hypoxia and the death of neurons. The person may hallucinate, hear something, or feel as if someone is touching them. Brain processes take a matter of minutes, so the patient often falls into a stupor or loses consciousness in the last hours of life. The so-called “visions” of people before death are often associated with a past life, religion, or unfulfilled dreams. To date, there is no exact scientific answer about the nature of the appearance of such hallucinations.

What are the predictors of death according to scientists?

How does a sick person die? Based on numerous observations of dying patients, scientists have drawn a number of conclusions:

1. Not all patients experience physiological changes. One in three people who die have no obvious symptoms of death.
2. 60 - 72 hours before death, most patients lose their reaction to verbal stimuli. They do not respond to a smile, do not respond to the guardian’s gestures and facial expressions. There is a change in voice.
3. Two days before death, there is increased relaxation of the neck muscles, i.e., it is difficult for the patient to keep his head in an elevated position.
4. Slow, also the patient cannot close his eyelids tightly or squint his eyes.
5. You can also observe obvious disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, bleeding in its upper sections.

Signs of imminent death in a bedridden patient manifest themselves in different ways. According to the observations of doctors, it is possible to notice obvious manifestations of symptoms in a certain period of time, and at the same time determine the approximate date of death of a person.

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 away. 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 phlegm, 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 to be 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.

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

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

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 actions, such as moving around the room, exhaust a person and he will soon go 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 an old person feels, realizing that he is 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.

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.

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?

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:

1. The body refuses to function (incontinence of urine or feces, color of urine, constipation, loss of strength and appetite, refusal of water).
2. Even if you have an appetite, you may experience a loss of ability to swallow food, water, and your own saliva.
3. Loss of the ability to close the eyelids due to critical exhaustion and sunken eyeballs.
4. Signs of wheezing during unconsciousness.
5. 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

Reflections on the topic of life and death have always occupied the human mind. Before the development of science, one had to be content with only religious explanations; now medicine is able to explain many processes occurring in the body at the end of life. But it’s impossible to say for sure what a dying person or a person in a coma feels before death. Of course, some data is available thanks to the stories of survivors, but it cannot be said that these impressions will be completely similar to the sensations during real dying.

Death - what does a person feel before it?

All experiences that can occur at the moment of loss of life can be divided into physical and mental. In the first group, everything will depend on the cause of death, so let’s look at how people feel before it in the most common cases.

1. Drowning. First, laryngospasm occurs due to water entering the lungs, and when it begins to fill the lungs, a burning sensation occurs in the chest. Then consciousness goes away from the lack of oxygen, the person feels calm, then the heart stops and brain death occurs.
2. Blood loss. If a large artery is damaged, it takes several seconds for death to occur, and it is possible that the person will not even have time to feel pain. If smaller vessels are damaged and no help is provided, the dying process will drag on for several hours. At this time, in addition to panic, shortness of breath and thirst will be felt; after losing 2 out of 5 liters, loss of consciousness will occur.
3. Heart attack. Severe, prolonged or recurring pain in the chest area, which is a consequence of oxygen deficiency. Pain can spread to the arms, throat, stomach, lower jaw and back. The person also feels nauseous, shortness of breath and cold sweat. Death does not occur instantly, so with timely help it can be avoided.
4. Fire. Severe pain from burns gradually subsides as their area increases due to damage to nerve endings and the release of adrenaline, after which pain shock occurs. But most often, before dying in a fire, they feel the same as when there is a lack of oxygen: burning and severe pain in the chest, there may be nausea, sudden drowsiness and short-term activity, then paralysis and loss of consciousness occurs. This is because fires usually cause deaths from carbon monoxide and smoke.
5. Fall from height. This may vary depending on the final damage. Most often, when falling from 145 meters or more, death occurs within a few minutes after landing, so there is a chance that adrenaline will blur all other sensations. A lower height and nature of the landing (hitting your head or your feet - there is a difference) can reduce the number of injuries and give hope for life, in this case the range of sensations will be wider, and the main one will be pain.

As we see, often before death, pain sensations are either completely absent or significantly reduced due to adrenaline. But he cannot explain why the patient does not feel pain before death if the process of leaving for another world was not quick. It often happens that seriously ill patients get out of bed on their last day, begin to recognize their relatives and feel a surge of strength. Doctors explain this as a chemical reaction to injected drugs or as a mechanism of the body’s surrender to the disease. In this case, all protective barriers fall, and the forces that went into fighting the disease are released. As a result of disabled immunity, death occurs faster, and the person feels better for a short time.

Now let's look at what impressions the psyche “gives” during parting with life. Here, researchers rely on stories from people who have experienced clinical death. All impressions can be divided into the following 5 groups.

1. Fear. Patients report a feeling of overwhelming horror, a sense of persecution. Some say they saw coffins, had to go through a burning ceremony, and tried to swim out.
2. Bright light. He is not always, as in the well-known cliché, at the end of the tunnel. Some felt that they were in the center of a glow, and then it died down.
3. Images of animals or plants. People saw real and fantastic living beings, but at the same time they experienced a feeling of peace.
4. Relatives. Other joyful sensations are associated with the fact that patients saw loved ones, sometimes dead ones.
5. Deja vu, top view. Often people said that they knew exactly about the subsequent events, and they happened. Other senses were also often heightened, the impression of time was distorted, and a feeling of separation from the body was observed.

Scientists believe that all this is closely connected with a person’s worldview: deep religiosity can give the impression of communicating with saints or God, and a passionate gardener will rejoice at the sight of blossoming apple trees. But to say what a person feels in a coma before death is much more difficult. Perhaps his feelings will be similar to those listed above. But it is worth remembering the different types of this state, which can provide different experiences. Obviously, once brain death is recorded, the patient will no longer see anything, but other cases are the subject of study. For example, a group of researchers from the United States tried to communicate with patients in a coma and assessed brain activity. A reaction arose to some stimuli, resulting in signals that could be interpreted as monosyllabic answers. Probably, in the event of death from such a situation, a person can experience various conditions, only their degree will be lower, since many functions of the body are already impaired.