# Experiencing Death - What its like to die!



## Happy (Oct 10, 2008)

*Most of us have probably wondered what it is like to die - so scientists have tackled the issue head-on and revealed the macabre yet fascinating truth.*







...And the other side of the story


New Scientist magazine has pondered the subject in great depth in its latest issue, discussing the various ways of meeting one's end, from being burned alive to drowning and decapitation.
The experts have taken their evidence from advances in medical sciences and accounts from lucky survivors.
Whatever the mode of death, it is usually a lack of oxygen to the brain that delivers the "coup de grace", says the report.

*But in case there are still questions, here are some of their conclusions:*

*Drowning:*
Victims first panic and try to hold their breath, typically for 30 to 90 seconds. Survivors have reported a "tearing and burning" sensation as water enters the lungs - but it is quickly followed by a feeling of calmness and tranquility. Oxygen deprivation results in loss of consciousness, the heart stopping and brain death.

*Heart attack:*
A "squeezing" chest pain, or feeling of pressure, is the most common symptom as the heart muscle struggles for oxygen. Disruption of the normal heart rhythm effectively stops the heart beating. Loss of consciousness can occur in about 10 seconds and death can follow minutes later.

*Loss of blood:*
Marked by several stages of "haemorrhagic shock". Anyone losing 1.5 litres of blood feels weak, thirsty and anxious. By the time two litres are lost, people experience dizziness, confusion and eventual unconsciousness.

*Electrocution:*
A household electric shock might stop the heart, leading to unconsciousness after around 10 seconds. Higher currents through the heart or brain can produce almost immediate unconsciousness. However, it has been claimed that prisoners executed with the electric chair may actually have died from heating of the brain or suffocation.

*Fall from a height*:
Survivors of great falls often report the sensation of time slowing down. A study of 100 suicide jumps from San Francisco's 246-ft-high Golden Gate Bridge found numerous cases of instantaneous death involving collapsed lungs, exploded hearts or damage to organs from broken ribs.

*Hanging:
*Hanging suicides and old-fashioned executions cause death by strangulation. This can lead to unconsciousness in 10 seconds but a poorly placed noose may result in many minutes of suffering. "Long drop" hangings are designed to break the neck. But a study of the remains of 34 prisoners executed in this way found that four-fifths died partly from asphyxiation.


*Fire:
*Burns inflict intense pain, and boost the skin's pain sensitivity. As superficial nerves are destroyed, some feeling is lost - but not much, according to experts. But most people who die in fires are actually killed by inhaling toxic gases and asphyxiation.

*Decapitation:*
Beheading can be swift and painless but consciousness is believed to continue for a short time after the spinal cord is severed. Experts have calculated that the brain might remain functioning for seven seconds. Reports from guillotine executions in France cited cases where movements of the eyes and mouth were seen for up to 30 seconds.


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## vanWinchester (May 29, 2009)

Yeah, not that I ever wanted to die in any of those ways but...thanks I guess. :dry:


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## de l'eau salée (Nov 10, 2008)

Oh gosh, this makes me uneasy.


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## Kokos (Dec 28, 2008)

This thread make me want to stay alive as long as possible, thanks a lot lance.


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## Happy (Oct 10, 2008)

Haha. Scary huh? 

What got me was the decapitation part. Omg.:frustrating:


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## de l'eau salée (Nov 10, 2008)

Lance said:


> Haha. Scary huh?
> 
> What got me was the decapitation part. Omg.:frustrating:


Seriously! I don't want to be alive when my head is cut off from the rest of my body! Maybe I could make an evil face at them and spook them out, actually...muahah .


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## firedell (Aug 5, 2009)

The last one made me look away in fright.


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## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

I think passing out and feeling like I can't breathe are the scariest feelings ever, worse than being in pain, so if death happens from loss of oxygen and feels like passing out, I really don't want to experience it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## moon (Nov 29, 2008)

Coooooool!


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## Marino (Jun 26, 2009)

Awesome! It's unfortunate we can only ever experience one. :sad:


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## Harley (Jul 5, 2009)

Reading this makes me want to be decapitated.


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## pianopraze (Jun 29, 2009)

what really scares me is when they keep bringing you back to life...


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## Harley (Jul 5, 2009)

pianopraze said:


> what really scares me is when they keep bringing you back to life...


Those pesky mad scientists.


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## pianopraze (Jun 29, 2009)




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## 480 (Jan 22, 2009)

Lance said:


> *Hanging:
> *Hanging suicides and old-fashioned executions cause death by strangulation. This can lead to unconsciousness in 10 seconds but a poorly placed noose may result in many minutes of suffering. "Long drop" hangings are designed to break the neck. But a study of the remains of 34 prisoners executed in this way found that four-fifths died partly from asphyxiation.


There is "Death By Hanging" which is... this "long drop" thing. The distance helps, but what breaks the neck is the knot is placed to the side of the head. This is causes the head to snap sharply to one side at the bottom.

"Hanging from the neck till dead" is the one where the knot is at the back, and you die slowly.


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## So Long So Long (Jun 6, 2009)

Yeah.. Shouldn't have read this right before I went to bed... x-x


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## thehigher (Apr 20, 2009)

I'm scared:crying:


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## Decon (Dec 9, 2008)

Lose of blood sounds about right. When I had my head injury I had lost altogether, about a liter. I was starting to feel a little weak. Mostly dizzy. And oddly hungry.


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## Mikbert (Jul 19, 2009)

the loss of blood one sounds about right to me when I experienced it, don't remember being thirsty though.


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## 480 (Jan 22, 2009)

Mikbert said:


> the loss of blood one sounds about right to me when I experienced it, don't remember being thirsty though.


There are stages to blood loss and each has different characteristics. Thirsty is a symptom of one of the stages.


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## Mikbert (Jul 19, 2009)

Bear said:


> There are stages to blood loss and each has different characteristics. Thirsty is a symptom of one of the stages.


Must have missed that one  Passed out at the hospital though, lol...


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## Ungweliante (Feb 26, 2009)

What about death due to freezing?

A frozen corpse is a beautiful corpse.


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## Mikbert (Jul 19, 2009)

Ungweliante said:


> What about death due to freezing?
> 
> A frozen corpse is a beautiful corpse.


Freezing to death feels like burning.


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## yara (Jul 28, 2009)

OH GOD,this is very hard to read:crying:


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## Ungweliante (Feb 26, 2009)

Two men waiting at the Pearly Gates strike up a conversation. "How'd you die?" the first man asks the second. 

"I froze to death," says the second. 

"That's awful," says the first man. "How does it feel to freeze to death?" 

"It's very uncomfortable at first", says the second man. "You get the shakes, and you get pains in all your fingers and toes. But eventually, it's a very calm way to go. You get numb and you kind of drift off, as if you're sleeping. How about you, how did you die?"

"I had a heart attack," says the first man. "You see, I knew my wife was cheating on me, so one day I showed up at home unexpectedly. I ran up to the bedroom, and found her alone, knitting. I ran down to the basement, but no one was hiding there, either. I ran up to the second floor, but no one was hiding there either. I ran as fast as I could to the attic, and just as I got there, I had a massive heart attack and died." 

The second man shakes his head. "That's so ironic," he says. 

"What do you mean?" asks the first man. 

"If you had only stopped to look in the freezer, we'd both still be alive."


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## kiskadee (Jan 9, 2009)

Tthe last one was the one that really freaked out a bunch of the first posters? It almost made me want to die by decapitation. The "heart attack" and "loss of blood" descriptions were the ones that really got to me. I'm surprised the "falling" one didn't squick me more, considering free-falling is a particular phobia of mine.


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## Viktoria2 (Feb 15, 2009)

*I'd want to get shot. Sounds like it would be an interesting way to die. Preferably, I'd want to die saving someone I loved. That would be my first choice. It would just have meaning to it, I'd think my life was actually worth something. 

"Oh, how did Viktoria die?"
"She got shot."
"There's an interesting way to go."
"Yep. Darn, what a shame."

Or doing something outrageous. Just ridiculous. That way, when I'm in heaven, I have a real fun story to tell everyone. 

Out of this list though, i'd want to drown or get heart attack. I think I have an irregular heartbeat anyway. Not to jinx myself or anything. *


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## angularvelocity (Jun 15, 2009)

Nice post, lol. Fire deaths FTL.


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## Mikbert (Jul 19, 2009)

Grish said:


> Tthe last one was the one that really freaked out a bunch of the first posters? It almost made me want to die by decapitation. The "heart attack" and "loss of blood" descriptions were the ones that really got to me. I'm surprised the "falling" one didn't squick me more, considering free-falling is a particular phobia of mine.


Meh, loss of blood isn't so bad.


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## angularvelocity (Jun 15, 2009)

Mikbert said:


> Meh, loss of blood isn't so bad.



Realllly? Lol I'd put that on the bottom along with fires... I've never seen anyone die from blood loss personally, thank God, but when they show it in movies.. doesn't look too nice. Someone would have to have a major artery cut, or get a gun shot in the right spot... blah. Lol. I can't think of other ways to die from blood loss. I think that would be a painful one.


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## Mikbert (Jul 19, 2009)

avalanche183 said:


> Realllly? Lol I'd put that on the bottom along with fires... I've never seen anyone die from blood loss personally, thank God, but when they show it in movies.. doesn't look too nice. Someone would have to have a major artery cut, or get a gun shot in the right spot... blah. Lol. I can't think of other ways to die from blood loss. I think that would be a painful one.


I banged my head into a lamp-thingy on a wall when I was younger, gave me a cut and it bleed like hell.

12 stitches, 9 on the outside, 3 on the inside.


Blood loss is just disorientating, you don't even feel anything. I didn't realise I was bleeding until it started spraying the falls and girls screamed in terror :crazy:


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## Fulcrum (Aug 1, 2009)

I have my money set on hemlock and carbon monoxide. Bloodletting is messy, noose is messy, everything on that list [practically] is messy.


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## unwrittenschism (Aug 17, 2009)

lovely. i want to die in my sleep, but it looks like i might have some nauseating nightmares ahead of me.


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## jochris (Jul 18, 2009)

Oh my god. Thank freaking god that I read this in the morning. If I had read this at night it would have creeped me out even more. Reading about the beheading made me think for a good moment and then put my hand on my neck. Nuu.


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## skycloud86 (Jul 15, 2009)

Lance said:


> *Most of us have probably wondered what it is like to die - so scientists have tackled the issue head-on and revealed the macabre yet fascinating truth.*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think if I had to choose one of these ways to die, I would choose decapitation, due it being quick and painless.


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## TotalPigeon (Aug 8, 2009)

If I had to pick one from the list, I'd probably go for fire - if it's the last thing I'm going to experience, I'd prefer to experience the greatest sensations. A calm, painless death would be something of an anticlimax.

Anyway, I won't be satisfied with my exit from life unless I can take the rest of the whole goddamn universe with me.


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## Bohemian (Aug 18, 2009)

I hate death.
I'm one of those people that feel uneasy when talking about death.
But it's gotta happen someday


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## djf863000 (Nov 7, 2009)

I wished they would have put overdose, to see if it would have match my experience. It is a miricle, I'm still alive. Since then I stop fearing death completely.


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## Seducer of the Homeless (Jun 14, 2009)

call me fucked up but....am i the only one that actually wants to die after reading that?! i am serious :sad:

god, i am fucked up


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## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

Marino said:


> Awesome! It's unfortunate we can only ever experience one. :sad:


Bwahahahaha. I lul'd muchly.


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## Ti Dominant (Sep 25, 2010)

Yeah, I saw a National Geographic documentary on death (Moment of Death).
They spoke of most of these issues: how it's like to die in various situations.

They also speculated as to 'when' you actually die, not to mention the many ethical aspects involve with pulling the plug.
How can you be truly certain that someone will never come back to life? 

And they speculated as to why we see that white light at the end of the tunnel when we die, with flashes of memories passing before us as we're slowly moving toward the light. One guy on the show explained why this happens. He said that as we're dying, the brain begins firing in certain basic areas near the brain stem (the primitive, basic part of the brain). The visual cortex and superior colliculus can become stimulated which is perceived as a bright light. We perceive this as a tunnel, and as mammals we are attracted to light, so we perceive it as a very warm and pleasant experience. So there can be very rational reasons for this.


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## Darner (Apr 20, 2010)

I dreamt once that I drowned and those were my most beautiful dreams. I am not suicidal but it indeed felt like in the OP description - very peaceful. I wanna die in a explosion though.


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## Justi (Apr 23, 2011)

I wanna die in my chair peacefully in old age or epicly dying in the battlefield,unexpected death surely ll be annoying


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## noimnotarobot (Mar 8, 2018)

Nym said:


> I've nearly died several times, mainly because of my habit of "not thinking." before I do stuff, no no I could totally swim that lake and who the hell needs a life jacket. (I couldn't even stand when I got to the other side because I was so exhausted My legs just kept collapsing.) I was in a car accident, where I hit a patch of black ice and had my truck go sideways at about 80 kilometers. (This time it was, no, no I'm not to tired to drive home.) Or nearly falling off the side of a mountain that i figured it'd be a hoot to climb. (What the hell do I need safety equipment for, that shit's for pussies.) Mouthed off a gangster once or twice, (I don't know how I wasn't killed their or at least severely beaten, hey who knows it may still be coming.) These are only the ones that come to mind immediately. They all had something in common, when they happened I wasn't afraid, I didn't feel anything really, My mind worked really fast, but instead of my life flashing I was really concerned with ways in which I could come out of it not dead. Afterwords I nearly threw up each time, and I couldn't close my eyes for a good half hour or more. Sometimes I started shaking, and when I was sure I was going to drown I got extremely obsessed with just another meter. Oh yeah I nearly froze to death once because I didn't feel like getting a ride and it wasn't that cold. (I got hypothermia, once I warmed up a little is when I started shivering, I must have sat under a blanket shivering intensely for at least 2 hours.) That one I can imagine what it might have felt like to die. First you go numb, really numb (at least I did.) so numb the cold stops bothering you. Even my face it's usually the last thing to loose sensation, (When it does you get that whole I can't speak properly because the muscles in my face wont move properly.) Then I got tired really really, tired I was actually thinking snow banks seemed like an excellent spot for a nap. I got really heavy like my legs weighed a hundred pounds each or more, it was another of those times when just a few more steps probably saved my life. So in general freezing to death, would feel a lot like a nap you never wake up from. What a macabre thread.


The closest that I have ever been to death is when I blacked out from drinking too much alcohol when I was 18. According to the doctor, my heart had stopped for about thirty seconds. I can't say that I remember "dying". I hope when its my time to go, that it's peaceful and quick.


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## noimnotarobot (Mar 8, 2018)

Justi said:


> I wanna die in my chair peacefully in old age or epicly dying in the battlefield,unexpected death surely ll be annoying


I think that it would be epic to die while in the middle of having sex. I'd love to orgasm right before I bite the dust. I've heard of cases of men and boys dying by erotic Erotic asphyxiation. Robin Williams was in a movie called "Worlds Greatest Dad", where his son dies while masturbating and choking himself to death. In the movie, Robin Williams exploits him own sons death by making it look like a suicide so he can publish his book.


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## Aluminum Frost (Oct 1, 2017)

I wish like a few hours before you die you were notified and you write down how you want to die and then it happens. That would be so cool, like a celebration and everyone goes out with a bang.


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## VinnieBob (Mar 24, 2014)

death cannot be experienced
once a person dies their rationality no longer exists


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## Cal (Sep 29, 2017)




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