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. Impossible to predict exact time death, and how exactly the 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:
Excessive drowsiness and weakness, at the same time periods of wakefulness decrease, energy fades.
Breathing changes, periods of rapid breathing are replaced by pauses in breathing.
Hearing and vision change, for example, a person hears and sees things that others do not notice.
Appetite worsens, the person drinks and eats less than usual.
Changes in the urinary and gastrointestinal systems. Your urine may turn dark brown or dark red, and you may have bad (difficult) stools.
Body temperature changes, ranging from very high to very low.
Emotional changes, the person is not interested in the outside world and individual details Everyday life such as time and date.
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 happen when you are weak and normal discharge your airways and lungs cannot escape.
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 nutrition is important social significance, it will be difficult for your family and friends to watch you not eat anything. 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 will have difficulty controlling your bladder and bowels. A urinary catheter may be placed in your bladder as a means of long-term urine drainage. Also, the program for helping hopelessly ill patients can provide toilet paper or underwear (these 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).
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 important part your treatment and improve 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, in 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 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 family wants to provide him with their help as an expression of love and sympathy. Often, a person with a terminal illness will consider suicide with the assistance of a physician when their physical or emotional symptoms are not addressed. 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.Physician-assisted suicide
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 drugs are given in very small quantities - usually just a few drops - and are effective way pain relief 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). At 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 medications and, accordingly, endure a little pain in order to remain active. On the other hand, maybe weakness doesn't matter to you. of great importance 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. Sudden cessation may 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:
Magnetotherapy
Meditation
Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Biofeedback
Chiropractic
Induction of images
Healing Touch
Homeopathy
Hydrotherapy
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.
When a person dies, this is the worst outcome of the disease. For every patient, the topic of death is unpleasant and can even be painful, because no one wants to die, especially from a disease. The patient's family always tries to support their loved one, but often this can only push away negative thoughts and experiences for a short time. How does a person feel when he dies? This issue has been discussed by many generations of doctors, scientists and even esotericists.
What emotions does a person feel before dying?
Many years of scientific research have proven that when a person dies, negative feelings do not always arise. It is generally accepted that people often experience fear, horror and a sense of powerlessness due to the fact that nothing can be changed. Each person, due to his character, attitude towards the disease and even the disease itself, behaves differently when he dies.
There is a study carried out in America that was based on a long description of what people who were terminally ill and in the process of dying felt and thought, in order to compare their notes and understand what a person feels as death approaches. This study also involved healthy people, who for a certain period of time (several months) had to imagine themselves as sick and write down how a person feels when he dies, in the opinion of the subjects, their attitude towards life and towards a fictitious disease. The results were somewhat unexpected. People who were actually sick were much more positive about the situation.
They were more often in a more romantic and meaningful mood, committed good deeds and were kind to others, because they wanted to do something good for others before they died and leave without regret that their life was not meaningless. But the fake patients were not so optimistic. The most frequently used words in their entries were “fear,” “pain,” “horror,” and “resentment.” Thus, we can understand that our judgments about how a person feels when he dies may be incorrect. Even prisoners sentenced to death penalty, often feel more positive emotions a few minutes before the execution of the sentence.
Not in the sense that they are happy about what is happening. During the time that they have before the execution of the sentence, people think about the meaning of life and religion, about their own family and the world and are ready to describe exactly what a person feels, what thoughts and sensations he experiences when he dies. The same thing happens with seriously ill people who know that death from a disease is inevitable - they begin to feel the world and their own experiences in a completely different way.
Clinical death
As a rule, patients who experience clinical death spend a long time in the intensive care unit or at home (if the person is suffering from cancer). The human body is exhausted and often the condition that precedes death is coma. In a coma, the patient cannot feel any emotions because he is unconscious. Therefore, no one knows what a person feels during clinical death after a long illness, since the survival rate among such patients is practically zero.
But sudden clinical death also happens, when before this the person was fully conscious.
Important!! Shamans and some esoteric practitioners try to achieve precisely this state, which is similar to clinical death, in order, as they claim, to communicate with the gods or the dead.
People who have experienced clinical death say that when they died, they felt a feeling of complete serenity and calm. Some claim that they saw everything that was happening, as if they were watching from the outside and also do not note any negative or painful sensations.
How does a person feel when he dies from cancer?
Everyone knows that cancer is a pathology that greatly depletes a person, and treatment is long, persistent and often cannot help. How do patients feel when they die? Often this is severe pain. Relatives of cancer patients note how much their loved ones have changed during treatment. During the period of illness, when a person’s strength decreases every day, the body ceases to be as strong as before, the attitude of patients towards themselves, towards their illness, family and in general towards everything that happens, largely acquires a negative connotation. But than closer person approaches death - his thinking and feelings change.
Intense pain changes behavior, and constant use of potent drugs can to some extent reduce negative thinking. Such patients begin to reason that dying is the only relief. Some patients can tell exactly when death will occur and this is completely inexplicable. People say how you feel when you die and know when it will all be over. And often this turns out to be true. Patients who say when exactly they will die know how much time they have left and perceive it as something positive when they can manage their time. Quite often, such patients are in full adequate consciousness and try to communicate more with their family. Often they remember past events and say their last wishes and advise something to their relatives. Everyone knows how the well-known Mikhail Zadornov behaved when he learned that his days were numbered...
The approach of death for these patients is an inevitability of which they understand and realize that they need to properly use the remaining time when there is still such an opportunity.
How does consciousness fade when a person dies?
It is no secret that people do not die in a second, just like, for example, turning off the light and the light bulb goes out instantly. When the process of extinction just begins, all processes begin to slow down and in the end a “shutdown of all systems” occurs.
- Blood pressure slows down and decreases. A decrease in heart rate gradually leads to the fact that a person’s consciousness begins to become cloudy;
- When the pressure becomes too low (and often not even detected by machines) due to the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to maintain normal pressure, the person loses consciousness and feels nothing. But this does not happen abruptly, but rather gently, as if the patient had fallen into a very sound sleep;
- The person's breathing stops and accumulation occurs. carbon dioxide and metabolic products in the blood, which leads to cardiac arrest;
- After the heart has stopped, the human brain functions within a few minutes, and at this stage it is still possible to carry out resuscitation measures that can bring the person back to life. Scientists and clairvoyants agree that it is in this state that a person can see himself from the outside;
How the human psyche can protect itself before death
Those who have encountered sick people may have noticed that prolonged lying down, severe illness, pain or prolonged infection can change a person’s behavior beyond recognition. Often patients begin to behave differently than usual. They may start talking (saying phrases that are completely meaningless), and may not recognize loved ones or even themselves. This behavior can often be found in patients when they are practically in a state before dying. This behavior has a term that is known as “encephalopathy” and occurs not only in mentally ill people.
The human body and psyche are configured in such a way that when the body experiences excessive stress, and, for example, a long-term infection is an extremely difficult test for the human body, the body tries to protect itself and so-called “behavioral failures” occur. As a rule, after the body “comes to its senses,” a person does not remember what happened and is sincerely perplexed as to how this could happen to him. Alas, such manifestations of the psyche occur quite often.
Statistics on the manifestation of encephalopathy in patients with various diseases:
| Infectious diseases | Toxic manifestations | Severe injuries | Prolonged hyperthermia | Shock conditions | Agony |
| 85% | 60% | 16% | 8% | 37% | 5% |
Interesting! Often, patients who have been diagnosed with mental disorders, registered in the mental health unit or hospitalized in psychiatric clinics, “come to their senses” a few minutes or hours before they die.
If before death there was a change in a person’s consciousness due to a disease (inappropriate behavior, aggression or hallucinations), before dying the person realizes that the disease has receded and can even communicate with his relatives and friends, and also tell how the dying person feels .
Conclusion
At all times, the topic of death seems frightening and creepy to people, but as research by specialists shows, this attitude towards the process of dying is revealed for the most part in healthy people who talk about how a person feels when he dies. Studies say how a person feels when they die suddenly is a topic full of mysteries and questions, while long-term ill people can readily tell what they feel and also evaluate what is happening.
Life on Earth for each individual is only a segment of the path in material incarnation, intended for the evolutionary development of the spiritual level. Where does the deceased go, how does the soul leave the body after death, and how does a person feel when transitioning to another reality? These are some of the most exciting and most discussed topics throughout the existence of mankind. Orthodoxy and other religions testify to the afterlife in different ways. In addition to the opinions of representatives of various religions, there are also testimonies of eyewitnesses who experienced a state of clinical death.
What happens to a person when he dies
Death is an irreversible biological process in which the vital functions of the human body cease. At the stage of dying of the physical shell, all metabolic processes of the brain, heartbeat and breathing stop. At approximately this moment, the subtle astral body, called the soul, leaves the obsolete human shell.
Where does the soul go after death?
How the soul leaves the body after biological death and where it goes is a question that interests many people, especially the elderly. Death is the end of life in material world, but for the immortal spiritual essence this process is only a change of reality, as Orthodoxy believes. There is a lot of discussion about where the human soul goes after death.
Representatives of Abrahamic religions talk about “heaven” and “hell”, into which souls end up forever, according to their earthly deeds. The Slavs, whose religion is called Orthodoxy because they glorify “Rule,” adhere to the belief that the soul can be reborn. The theory of reincarnation is also preached by followers of Buddha. One thing that can be stated unequivocally is that, leaving the material shell, the astral body continues to “live,” but in another dimension.
Where is the soul of the deceased until 40 days
Our ancestors believed, and living Slavs to this day believe, that when the soul leaves the body after death, it remains for 40 days where it lived in earthly incarnation. The deceased is attracted to places and people with whom he was associated during life. The spiritual substance that has left the physical body “says goodbye” to relatives and home for the entire forty-day period. When the fortieth day comes, it is customary for the Slavs to arrange a farewell to the soul to the “other world.”
Third day after death
For many centuries there has been a tradition to bury the deceased three days after the death of the physical body occurred. There is an opinion that only after the end of the three-day period does the separation of the soul from the body occur, all vital energies. After a three-day period, the spiritual component of a person, accompanied by an angel, goes to another world, where its fate will be determined.
On day 9
There are several versions of what the soul does after the death of the physical body on the ninth day. According to the religious leaders of the Old Testament cult, the spiritual substance, after a nine-day period after its dormition, undergoes ordeal. Some sources adhere to the theory that on the ninth day the body of the deceased leaves the “flesh” (subconscious). This action takes place after the “spirit” (superconsciousness) and “soul” (consciousness) have left the deceased.
How does a person feel after death?
The circumstances of death can be completely different: natural death due to old age, violent death or due to illness. After the soul leaves the body after death, according to eyewitness accounts of coma survivors, the etheric double will have to go through certain stages. People who have returned from the “other world” often describe similar visions and sensations.
After a person dies, he does not immediately go to the afterlife. Some souls, having lost their physical shell, at first do not realize what is happening. With special vision, the spiritual essence “sees” its immobilized body and only then understands that life in the material world is over. After an emotional shock, having accepted its fate, the spiritual substance begins to explore a new space.
Many, at the moment of the change in reality called death, are surprised that they remain in the individual consciousness to which they were accustomed during earthly life. Surviving witnesses of the afterlife claim that the life of the soul after the death of the body is filled with bliss, so if you have to return to the physical body, this is done reluctantly. However, not everyone feels calm and tranquility on the other side of reality. Some, having returned from the “other world,” talk about the feeling of a rapid fall, after which they found themselves in a place filled with fear and suffering.
Peace and tranquility
Different eyewitnesses report with some differences, but more than 60% of those resuscitated testify to an encounter with an amazing source emitting incredible light and perfect bliss. Some people see this cosmic personality as the Creator, others as Jesus Christ, and others as an angel. What distinguishes this unusually bright creature, consisting of pure light, is that in its presence the human soul feels all-encompassing love and absolute understanding.
Sounds
At the moment when a person dies, he can hear an unpleasant hum, buzzing, loud ringing, noise as if from the wind, crackling and other sound manifestations. The sounds are sometimes accompanied by movement at high speed through the tunnel, after which the soul enters another space. A strange sound does not always accompany a person on his deathbed; sometimes you can hear the voices of deceased relatives or the incomprehensible “speech” of angels.
Light
The famous “light at the end of the tunnel” is seen by most people who return after clinical death. According to the testimonies of resuscitated patients, a huge stream of pure glow is always accompanied by peace of mind. This divine light is perceived by the entire nature of the new etheric shell of the soul, in other words, by spiritual vision, but upon returning to the physical body, many clearly imagine and describe the unearthly glow they saw.
Video
Since the appearance of man, he has always been tormented by questions of the mystery of birth and death. It is impossible to live forever, and, probably, it will not be long before scientists invent an elixir of immortality. Everyone is concerned about the question of how a person feels when he dies. What is happening at this moment? These questions have always worried people, and until now scientists have not found an answer to them.
Interpretation of death
Death is a natural process of ending our existence. Without it, it is impossible to imagine the evolution of life on earth. What happens when a person dies? This question has interested and will continue to interest humanity as long as it exists.
Passing away proves to some extent that it is survival of the fittest and the fittest. Without it, biological progress would have been impossible, and man might never have appeared.
Despite the fact that this natural process has always interested people, talking about death is difficult and difficult. First of all because it gets up psychological problem. Talking about it, we seem to be mentally approaching the end of our life, which is why we don’t want to talk about death in any context.
On the other hand, it is difficult to talk about death, because we, the living, have not experienced it, so we cannot say what a person feels when he dies.
Some compare death to simply falling asleep, while others argue that it is a kind of forgetting, when a person completely forgets about everything. But neither one nor the other, of course, is right. These analogies cannot be called adequate. We can only say that death is the disappearance of our consciousness.
Many continue to believe that after his death a person simply passes into another world, where he exists not at the level of the physical body, but at the level of the soul.
It's safe to say that research into death will always continue, but it will never provide a definitive answer about how people feel at this moment. This is simply impossible; no one has ever returned from the other world to tell us how and what is happening there.
How does a person feel when he dies?
Physical sensations probably at this moment depend on what led to death. Therefore, they can be painful or not, and some believe that they are quite pleasant.
Everyone has their own inner feelings in the face of death. Most people have some kind of fear sitting inside, they seem to resist and do not want to accept it, clinging to life with all their might.
Scientific evidence shows that after the heart muscle stops, the brain still lives for a few seconds, the person no longer feels anything, but is still conscious. Some believe that it is at this time that life’s results are summed up.
Unfortunately, no one can answer the question of how a person dies and what happens. All these sensations are most likely strictly individual.
Biological classification of death
Since the very concept of death is a biological term, classification must be approached from this point of view. Based on this, the following categories of death can be distinguished:
- Natural.
- Unnatural.
Natural death can be classified as physiological death, which can occur due to:
- Aging of the body.
- Fetal underdevelopment. Therefore, he dies almost immediately after birth or while still in the womb.
Unnatural death is divided into the following types:
- Death from disease (infections, cardiovascular diseases).
- Sudden.
- Sudden.
- Death from external factors (mechanical damage, respiratory failure, exposure to electric current or low temperatures, medical intervention).
This is how we can roughly characterize death from a biological point of view.
Socio-legal classification
If we talk about death from this perspective, then it can be:
- Violent (murder, suicide).
- Non-violent (epidemics, industrial accidents, occupational diseases).
Violent death is always associated with external influence, while non-violent death is caused by senile flabbiness, illness or physical disabilities.
In any type of death, damage or illness triggers pathological processes, which are the direct cause of death.
Even if the cause of death is known, it is still impossible to say what a person sees when he dies. This question will remain unanswered.
Signs of death
It is possible to identify initial and reliable signs that indicate that a person has died. The first group includes:
- The body is motionless.
- Pale skin.
- There is no consciousness.
- Breathing stopped, no pulse.
- There is no reaction to external stimuli.
- The pupils do not react to light.
- The body becomes cold.
Signs that indicate 100% death:
- The corpse is numb and cold, and cadaveric spots begin to appear.
- Late cadaveric manifestations: decomposition, mummification.
The first signs can be confused by an ignorant person with loss of consciousness, so only a doctor should pronounce death.
Stages of death
Death may take different periods time. This can last minutes, or in some cases hours or days. Dying is a dynamic process, in which death does not occur immediately, but gradually, if you do not mean instant death.
The following stages of dying can be distinguished:
- Preagonal state. The processes of blood circulation and breathing are disrupted, this leads to the fact that the tissues begin to lack oxygen. This condition can last for several hours or several days.
- Terminal pause. Breathing stops, the work of the heart muscle is disrupted, and brain activity stops. This period lasts only a few minutes.
- Agony. The body suddenly begins to fight for survival. At this time, short pauses in breathing and weakening of cardiac activity occur, as a result of which all organ systems cannot function normally. Changes appearance person: the eyes become sunken, the nose becomes sharp, the lower jaw begins to sag.
- Clinical death. Breathing and blood circulation stop. During this period, a person can still be revived if no more than 5-6 minutes have passed. It is after returning to life at this stage that many people talk about what happens when a person dies.
- Biological death. The body finally ceases to exist.
After death, many organs remain viable for several hours. This is very important, and it is during this period that they can be used for transplantation into another person.
Clinical death
It can be called a transitional stage between the final death of the organism and life. The heart stops working, breathing stops, all signs of the body’s vital functions disappear.
Within 5-6 minutes, irreversible processes have not yet started in the brain, so at this time there is every chance of bringing a person back to life. Adequate resuscitation actions will make the heart beat again and the organs function.
Signs of clinical death
If you carefully observe a person, you can quite easily determine the onset of clinical death. She has the following symptoms:
- There is no pulse.
- Breathing stops.
- The heart stops working.
- Severely dilated pupils.
- There are no reflexes.
- The person is unconscious.
- The skin is pale.
- The body is in an unnatural position.
To determine the onset of this moment, you need to feel the pulse and look at the pupils. Clinical death is different from biological topics that the pupils retain the ability to react to light.
The pulse can be felt in the carotid artery. This is usually done simultaneously with checking the pupils to speed up the diagnosis of clinical death.
If a person is not helped during this period, then biological death will occur, and then it will be impossible to bring him back to life.
How to recognize approaching death
Many philosophers and doctors compare the process of birth and death with each other. They are always individual. It is impossible to predict with accuracy when a person will leave this world and how it will happen. However, most dying people experience similar symptoms as death approaches. How a person dies may not even be influenced by the reasons that triggered the onset of this process.
Just before death, certain psychological and physical changes occur in the body. Among the most striking and frequently encountered are the following:
- There is less and less energy left, and drowsiness and weakness throughout the body often occur.
- The frequency and depth of breathing changes. Periods of stopping are replaced by frequent and deep breaths.
- Changes occur in the senses, a person can hear or see something that others cannot hear.
- Appetite becomes weak or practically disappears.
- Changes in organ systems lead to urine that is too dark and stools that are difficult to pass.
- There are temperature fluctuations. High can suddenly give way to low.
- The person completely loses interest in the outside world.
When a person is seriously ill, other symptoms may occur before death.
A person's feelings at the moment of drowning
If you ask the question of how a person feels when he dies, the answer may depend on the cause and circumstances of death. This happens differently for everyone, but in any case, at this moment there is an acute lack of oxygen in the brain.
After the movement of blood is stopped, regardless of the method, after about 10 seconds the person loses consciousness, and a little later the death of the body occurs.
If the cause of death is drowning, then the moment a person finds himself under water, he begins to panic. Since it is impossible to do without breathing, after a while the drowning person has to take a breath, but instead of air, water enters the lungs.
As the lungs fill with water, a feeling of burning and fullness appears in the chest. Gradually, after a few minutes, calm appears, which indicates that consciousness will soon leave the person, and this will lead to death.
The lifespan of a person in water will also depend on its temperature. The colder it is, the faster the body becomes hypothermic. Even if a person is afloat and not underwater, the chances of survival decrease every minute.
An already lifeless body can still be taken out of the water and brought back to life if not too much time has passed. The first step is to clear the airways of water, and then carry out full resuscitation measures.
Feelings during a heart attack
In some cases, it happens that a person suddenly falls and dies. Most often, death from a heart attack does not occur suddenly, but the development of the disease occurs gradually. Myocardial infarction does not affect a person immediately; for some time, people may feel some discomfort in the chest, but try not to pay attention to it. This is what big mistake which ends in death.
If you're prone to heart attacks, don't expect things to go away on their own. Such hope may cost you your life. After cardiac arrest, only a few seconds will pass until the person loses consciousness. A few more minutes, and death is already taking away our loved one.
If the patient is in the hospital, then he has a chance to get out if doctors detect cardiac arrest in time and carry out resuscitation measures.
Body temperature and death
Many people are interested in the question of at what temperature a person dies. Most people remember from biology lessons in school that for humans a body temperature above 42 degrees is considered fatal.
Some scientists associate deaths at high temperatures with the properties of water, the molecules of which change their structure. But these are only guesses and assumptions that science has yet to deal with.
If we consider the question of at what temperature a person dies, when hypothermia of the body begins, then we can say that already when the body cools down to 30 degrees, a person loses consciousness. If no measures are taken at this moment, death will occur.
Many such cases occur with people intoxicated who fall asleep in winter time right on the street and never wake up again.
Emotional changes on the eve of death
Usually, before death, a person becomes completely indifferent to everything that happens around him. He ceases to be oriented in time and dates, becomes silent, but some, on the contrary, begin to constantly talk about the road ahead.
A loved one who is dying may begin to tell you that they talked to or saw deceased relatives. Another extreme manifestation at this time is a state of psychosis. It’s always difficult for loved ones to bear all this, so you can consult a doctor and get advice about taking medicines to alleviate the condition of the dying.
If a person falls into a state of stupor or often sleeps for a long time, do not try to stir him up or wake him up, just be there, hold his hand, talk. Many people, even in a coma, can hear everything perfectly.
Death is always difficult; each of us will cross this line between life and non-existence in due time. When this happens and under what circumstances, what you will feel about it, unfortunately, is impossible to predict. This is a purely individual feeling for everyone.
Everyone knows Latin popular expression memento mori, which the heroes of the old Soviet film mistakenly translated as “instantly - into the sea.” In fact, this statement has nothing to do with maritime topics, and its literal translation means “remember death.” Some fear of eternal darkness is present to some extent in each of us. There is hardly anyone in the world who, at least once in their life, has not thought about death, how, when and why it comes, what a person feels before death, etc. Unfortunately, nothing on earth is eternal, and man is no exception.
Fear of death is not a pathology or a sign of cowardice if it does not go beyond reasonable boundaries. It is common for all of us to worry about our lives, and this is normal. It’s worse when a healthy fear, intended only to be careful and avoid dangerous situations, turns into a phobia. There are many reasons for such feelings to arise. First of all, it is the unknown and the reluctance to be forgotten by one’s descendants. Another common reason is fear of death itself. No one can know in advance when she will appear and what method she will choose. “Will it be quick or painful? How does a person feel before death? Is it easy to give up on life? What words does a dying person manage to say before dying? - such chilling questions visit everyone living in the world, and more than once. It is impossible to get unambiguous answers to them, since each person has their own life and death.
As a rule, a panicky fear of non-existence is more characteristic of people who live a boring, dull and joyless life than of those whose existence is filled with all sorts of interesting events. The first ones are afraid that they won’t manage to do anything during their stay on earth, while the second ones sometimes simply don’t have time to ask such questions - their life is, as they say, in full swing. Often, the fear of leaving this world is suddenly observed in those who have undergone a complex operation under deep and prolonged anesthesia, or in people who have been in a state of clinical death. The stories they tell when they regain consciousness are sometimes terrifying. Of course, it is not easy to return to normal life, having “been on the edge of worlds” and experiencing what a person feels before death, while remaining actually alive. Such people are often afraid to fall asleep in the evenings, because they have a strong fear of not waking up in the morning. It is possible and even necessary to fight such phobias. To begin with, you should try to do this yourself, for example, stop making long-term plans, and live “today and now,” trying to fill every day with interesting events. If such therapy does not help, it makes sense to seek professional help from a specialist.
Of particular note is the fear for the lives of family and friends. Indeed, it’s hard to even imagine that the person you love will suddenly pass away. It is even more difficult to watch the gradual decline of a close friend or relative (for example, during a long illness), without being able to help him or her in any way, to somehow alleviate the suffering. In order to calm yourself down a little and bring your feelings back to life nervous system, it is necessary to remember that death is not only the natural end of the earthly body, but also the beginning of a new journey of the soul. Perhaps in another world and in another form she will be much better off than on our earth.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the fear of death should not destroy a person during life. Every day we put ourselves in danger - we cross the road where a reckless driver can run into us, we fly on planes that constantly fall, we meet people who do not always have good intentions. Even in own home we are not insured against a fire, an earthquake or a chandelier falling on our head, which may well entail. We just shouldn’t think about it all the time, imagine vividly what a person feels before death, what he thinks about in the last moment of his life, etc. For a long time It has been proven that thoughts have the property of materialization, so you should not tempt fate by attracting unwanted situations with irreversible consequences.
