Death marks the moment when your vital organs stop working to keep you alive. The actual moment of death is often just one part of a more involved process (dying) where your body slowly shuts down. Knowing what to expect before death, at the moment of death and even afterward can help you face the experience when the time comes.
What happens to your body before death?
More sleep and less physical activity
Decreased appetite and thirst
Inability to control your bowel and bladder
Breakdown of your muscles and skin
Withdrawal and detachment
Declining or irregular vital signs
What happens to your body during death?
During death, your body’s vital functions stop entirely. Your heart no longer beats, your breath stops and your brain stops functioning. Studies suggest that brain activity may continue several minutes after a person has been declared dead. Still, brain activity isn’t the same as consciousness or awareness. It doesn’t mean that a person is aware that they’ve died.
Signs of death include:
- No pulse.
- No breath.
- Reflexes that don’t respond to testing.
- Pupils that don’t shrink (constrict) in response to bright light.
clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23144-what-happens-when-you-die