How does it feel to die?

December 4, 2007

I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to die. Of course slipping away in your sleep may be most people’s idea of the perfect way to go, but not me. I would rather go out with a bang–decapitation is nice–but what would something like that feel like? New Scientist has done just that with Death special: How does it feel to die?.

Some highlights:

• Drowning - The “surface struggle” for breath
• Heart attack - One of the most common forms of exit
• Bleeding to death - Several stages of hemorrhagic shock
• Fire - It’s usually the toxic gases that prove lethal
• Decapitation - Nearly instantaneous
• Electrocution - The heart and the brain are most vulnerable
• Fall from a height - If possible aim to land feet first
• Hanging - Speed of death depends on the hangman’s skill
• Lethal injection - US-government approved, but is it really painless?
• Explosive decompression - It takes your breath away

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