THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT IT'S LIKE TO DIE - ACCORDING TO SCIENCE

Every minute, around 108 people die on this planet - but what does it actually feel like?
Both scientists and people who have ‘been there’ say that depictions of a ‘long, dark tunnel’ - or religious experiences - are only part of the picture.

Some people have reported being aware of real events around them - even once their hearts have stopped.

Others - more comfortingly - speak of encounters with friends and loved ones, as if the body is psychologically preparing us for death.

1. What do people who have ‘died’ say?

Many people who have undergone cardiac arrest have shared their experiences online - with a popular discussion on the subject on question-and-answer site Quora.

What unites many of the experiences - from both religious and non-religious people - is a sense of calm.

Barbara wrote,  'Although I could hear perfectly - the beeping of the monitor as I flatlined, the code on the PA, the squeak-squeak of the crash cart wheels, everyone talking at once - I had no other sensation.

‘As I was sinking into unconsciousness, I felt very cool, relaxed, no need to breathe, no cause for alarm, no pain of any kind, totally peaceful. Everything grew dark around the edges until there was only blackness.

Terrance wrote: I had an experience. There’s no bright light. Jesus didn’t appear through the fot. It’s just an acceptance of reality, a definite end, like finishing a book. I just felt life slipping away, getting really tired, and all I could think of was the things I didn’t accomplish.

Aaron wrote: Several years ago, I flatlined at the emergency room. My senses left me one by one. First thing I noticed gone was my sense of touch. Followed by hearing. THe last thing to go was my sight, leaving me with a field of whiteness, and thoughts which seemed to be further and further apart.

2. ‘Pre-death’ experiences

Many people approaching the end of their lives have hallucinations or visions involving dead friends or relatives.

Researchers from Canisius College, New York interviewed 66 patients receiving end-of-life care in a hospice.

The researchers write, ‘ ‘As participants approached death, comforting dreams/visions of the deceased became more prevalent.

‘The impact of pre-death experiences on dying individuals and their loved ones can be profoundly meaningful…

‘These visions can occur months, weeks, days, or hours before death and typically lessen fear of dying, making transition from life to death easier for those experiencing them.’

3. What actually happens in your brain at the moment of death?

Brain activity actually often surges as a body dies - leading to a ‘hyper’ state of neural activity.

Some researchers believe that this is the reason for near-death experiences.

The American Chemical Society says,  ‘In the first few seconds, the last bit of oxygen in your body is depleted, and brain activity surges.

‘Recent research has shown that your brain can enter into a hyper state of perceptual neural activity at this time.’

‘Some even believe that this could be the explanation of near death experiences.

4. Do you see a ‘long dark tunnel’?

Seeing a long, dark tunnel with a light coming towards you as you die is actually quite rare, according to a study of more than 1,000 people who underwent cardiac arrest.

Around half of the patients recalled something from their time in cardiac arrest - but many of these experiences are frightening, or involved memories of real events (from a time when the person is supposedly dead).

Only 9% had any sort of ‘near death experience’, and just 2% had visual ‘out of body’ experiences.

The researchers, from the University of Southampton, studied 2,060 patients who had been through cardiac arrest, and then come back.

People can still see and hear - even when ‘dead’.

Several patients remembered real events from the operating theatre after they had ‘died’, the University of Southampton researchers said.

Dr Sam Parnia said that in one case, researchers were able to verify that a patient had recalled real events after their heart had stopped.

Dr Parnia said: ‘This is significant, since it has often been assumed that experiences in relation to death are likely hallucinations or illusions, occurring either before the heart stops or after the heart has been successfully restarted, but not an experience corresponding with ‘real’ events when the heart isn’t beating.

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