What happens while you die? Nurse explains the body’s response to death

LA-based nurse Julie McFadden has attempted to break down the stigma around death, explaining it is often more terrifying for loved ones than it is to the one dying. Photo / 123RF

A registered nurse who specialises in hospice care has explained why you shouldn’t be afraid of dying, unpacking what really happens to your body as it begins to prepare for death.

The nurse - Los Angeles-based Julie McFadden, 41 - has grown a large social media presence by using her informative videos and insights to help millions of others understand what the process of death is really like for those on their deathbed.

McFadden recently uploaded a new video to YouTube called “Why you shouldn’t be afraid of death and dying”. In the video, the nurse explains how one’s body can “shut off” core functions in the lead-up to death, making the experience more “peaceful” overall.

“I’m not afraid of death, and here’s the science behind it. Our body biologically helps us die, so here is what I’ve seen and learned as a hospice nurse over the years - our body is literally built to die,” McFadden said.

The health expert unpacked how a person nearing the end of their life will start “eating less, drinking less and sleeping more” about six months before their death as their bodies began to unwind and prepare for it.

“Why is that happening? Because calcium levels in the body are going up, and because calcium levels are going up, the person is getting sleepier,” McFadden explained.

McFadden explains one's body can "shut off" core functions in the lead-up to death, making the experience more "peaceful". Photo / Getty Images

“Biologically, when the body knows it’s getting towards the end of life, those mechanisms shut off, so the person does not usually feel hungry and does not usually feel thirsty, which is helping the body slowly shut down.”

She noted that death is often more terrifying for loved ones than it is to the one dying. Seeing someone in a declining state when you’re healthy yourself can skew our perception of how they’re feeling, but more often than not, the dying person will not be suffering.

“You’re seeing what they’re going through and, because we’re not in a dying body, it can feel really scary, and you think, ‘That must feel bad’.

“But when someone is in that dying body, it is a different shift, because not eating, not drinking feels natural.”

McFadden made it clear death from an injury or illness can make the experience more uncomfortable or painful, but the end-of-life process in itself is painless.

“There are times when the disease that the person is experiencing can cause symptoms and it’s more difficult because they’re dying from a certain disease, but the actual process that the body is going through to help it die is actually helping that person,” she added.

She followed up by stating she often hasn’t needed to give pain medication to patients as “they were perfectly comfortable” as they were, noting a person’s final moments can even be “comforting” since the body releases endorphins ahead of death.

“The body slowly goes into something called ketosis, which releases endorphins. In that person’s body, those endorphins dull pain, dull nerves, and they also give that person a euphoric sense, so they feel good,” McFadden said.

“There are many reasons why I don’t fear death ... [including] biological, metabolical and physiological things that happen in the body that truly, truly comforted me.”