When a person dies, physicians usually check for cardiac death (when the heart stops beating) or brain death (when there is no more electrical activity in the brain), O'Connor said. "We give loved ones the advice to keep talking, even if it seems like the person is sleeping." Slipping away "As people are drifting in and out of consciousness, we know they can hear voices, especially familiar voices," O'Connor said. To get rid of the rattle, it may help to change the patient's position, suction out the secretions, or give medications that get rid of the secretions, O'Connor said.ĭespite moving slowly, hearing is one of the last senses to go. This rattle doesn't appear to bother the patient, but it can be upsetting for loved ones to hear. This happens because the person is unable to cough up or swallow secretions that build up in the chest and throat. This change in breathing, however, doesn't appear to make the person uncomfortable, O'Connor said.Īt the end, some people have a so-called "death rattle" when breathing. " all of it comes from the process of the body slowing and shutting down." It can also be irregular, with pauses lasting from seconds to a minute or two, and that "can be scary for their family members who are watching," O'Connor said. In the last days or hours before death, people's breathing can become unusually shallow or deep. "Simple things, like getting up out of bed and into a chair could be exhausting - that could be all of someone's energy for a day."īecause they have less energy, the person's body may have difficulty regulating temperature, meaning that they may be hotter or colder than usual, she said. "The physical fatigue and weakness is profound," O'Connor said. Medications the person is taking, such as certain painkillers, may also slow them down, as can having out-of-balance electrolytes, O'Connor added. For example, they may move, talk and think more slowly than usual, and they may also need more time to process conversations, she said. Moving slowlyĭiminished energy can cause a person to slow down.
![3 minutes before death 3 minutes before death](https://earthlymission.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/chernobyl-pictures-before-after-11.jpg)
However, loss of appetite and weight loss are natural parts of dying from many long-term illnesses, she said. "When people are sick, we make them soup and we push Gatorade."
![3 minutes before death 3 minutes before death](https://img.thrfun.com/img/077/831/bean_and_cornbread_casserole_x.jpg)
"In our culture, we take care of people we love by feeding them," O'Connor said. It can be upsetting for friends and family when a dying person eats less. "Sometimes, they aren't physically able to eat," O'Connor said.
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People with advanced Alzheimer's disease often have physical difficulty swallowing, and they may forget how to chew and swallow. Furthermore, taste and smell are usually the first senses to go, so food and drink might not taste as good as they used to, she said. "It might sit in their stomach or make them feel nauseous," O'Connor told Live Science. What's more, people might eat less because their intestines aren't working as well, meaning they have trouble processing the food they eat. Many people report seeing a bright light at the end of a long dark tunnel after a near-death experience.