ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Videos
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Doctor shares exactly what happens to your body in final moments before death
Home>News>Health
Updated 19:02 19 Mar 2025 GMTPublished 19:03 19 Mar 2025 GMT

Doctor shares exactly what happens to your body in final moments before death

The human body has some built-in features to ease our passing

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Wherever you might have come from, dear reader, we're all inextricably bound for the same destination of death.

That, of course, is unless we find a way to preserve the human brain and plug it into an awesome robot body which renders us functionally immortal. Still, even then we'd surely not last forever and death is something everyone will eventually have to face.

What actually happens in those final moments is a source of great fascination for us, and there have been a number of studies into the specific process our body goes through.

Dr Kathryn Mannix explained the process in detail for BBC Science Focus, noting that even if we don't know for sure what happens afterwards we do have a clear idea of what to expect in those moments before you draw your terminal breath.

Advert

The good doctor explained that the process would happen at a different speed for different people, and some might need medical support to make their last moments as comfortable as possible.

People may do it at different speeds, but many of us will follow the same process as we die (Getty Stock Photo)
People may do it at different speeds, but many of us will follow the same process as we die (Getty Stock Photo)

Dr Mannix explained that many people when dying would first lose their appetite for food and drink, though said that spoonfuls of something nice to give a 'taste for pleasure' may still be welcome even if someone couldn't stomach a full meal.

Studies into death have called this period 'active dying', and said that while people may lose their appetite they'd have an 'intense feeling of relaxation'.

Those who are dying 'consistently lack energy', and compared it to the fatigue brought on by serious illnesses that mean a person 'can't get out of bed'.

She added that as someone got closer to death they'd sleep more and yet sleep would do less to replenish their energy, and at times they would feel as though they had a peaceful sleep even if they didn't remember being unconscious.

As the final moments approach more and more bodily functions slow down, as heart rate and blood pressure drop and they may make a noise that's come to be known as the 'death rattle' which typically indicates they're in their final day of life.

The human body is essentially designed to die, and has some features which will help ease the final moments (Getty Stock Photo)
The human body is essentially designed to die, and has some features which will help ease the final moments (Getty Stock Photo)

A person's breathing then becomes slow and shallow until it eventually stops altogether, and the doctor said that after a few minutes the lack of oxygen would cause the heart to stop beating.

As for what happens in the brain, studies have indicated that in the last moments before death there's an increase in brain activity in the areas related to memories and dreaming.

Others who have witnessed plenty of death said that some people would do something called 'visioning', where they thought they could clearly see lost loved ones.

Something else that can happen shortly before the end is something called 'the rally', where a few days before death a person will seem to be more like their former selves for a time.

This is sometimes mistaken as a sudden and miraculous recovery, and you shouldn't get too encouraged by this as 'the rally' fades away again and death is usually only a few days away at that point.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photo

Topics: Health, Science

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Recommended reads

Obsession director says the hit movie has 'plot hole' that 'makes no sense' Universal Pictures Nicolas Cage says Christopher Nolan 'won't call him back' after he turned down role GettySophie Rain claims basketball star offered her $15 million for her virginity Instagram/@sophieraiinHorror bringing unsettling internet theory to life was so creepy actor didn’t want to be alone on setA24

Advert

  • Doctor shares 'embarrassing' side effect of using cocaine you probably didn't know about
  • Doctor explains what happens to your body when you drink again after going sober
  • Doctor explains what happens when weight loss jabs indirectly ‘trigger’ your body into ‘stress mode’
  • Man and woman had sex in MRI scan machine to show what really happens to body

Choose your content:

8 hours ago
9 hours ago
  • Facebook/Garrett Day
    8 hours ago

    Student sent heartbreaking text to family just minutes before she was killed by drunk driver

    He was allegedly nearly three times over the legal blood alcohol limit in Florida

    News
  • X/TNT Sports
    8 hours ago

    Moment tennis player Arthur Gea threatens to 'sh*t on the court' after altercation with umpire

    He bluntly told the officials he was suffering from an upset stomach during the French Open match

    News
  • Arthur Salome/Instagram
    9 hours ago

    Living Nostradamus has chilling prediction that will decide the future of global order

    The final frontier of human civilisation could very well be its next battlefield

    News
  • David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images
    9 hours ago

    25 people rushed to hospital as 'mystery substance' sprayed at Tokyo shopping centre

    Dozens of emergency responders attended the scene as many wore hazmat suits

    News