Exploring the final hours: Understanding the dying process

Zachary Palace is a geriatrician from New York who, due to his specialisation, has been present at the deaths of his patients multiple times. His experiences, combined with extensive medical knowledge, have enabled him to describe the dying process and the phases the human body goes through.

The dying process varies depending on the person's physical condition at the moment. Whether death results from illness or chronic health problems affects the way the body reacts. Despite the differences, the entire course leads to a gradual fading of bodily functions.

Initially, a decrease in blood pressure can be observed, which, as Dr Palace notes, manifests as pale skin. Dr Palace points out that fingers can become cold or blue, and the detectable pulse is very weak.

Another element that changes is breathing, which slows down gradually. In cases where the body is weakened by illness, irregularities in breathing can speed up the dying process.

The next phase is the loss of consciousness, though scientists disagree with the total loss of awareness in this case.

There may be periods of restlessness or disorientation. If not, you will simply gradually lose consciousness. The dying are unaware of their own lips and throats, so they may breathe heavily and loudly, but not in a worrying manner, wrote Dr Kathryn Mannix, a palliative care doctor, in "Science Focus" magazine.

The observations regarding the brain in the last moments of life are extremely interesting. It turns out that the brain can still function and respond to auditory stimuli. Dr Palace reports that studies reveal the dying person's brain's ability to respond to sounds, even in complete unawareness, until the final hours of life.

The specialist emphasizes that the brain of a person close to death, even unconscious, picks up sounds in the environment. However, research is still being conducted on the significance of music and other sounds for people in a terminal state.