The breathing may also be noisy, as secretions collect at the back of the throat - this is normal and may respond to medication being given subcutaneously. Suction is not advised, as this tends to cause distress. The patient's eyes may roll back as they do in deep meditation.
Reasons for your eyes rolling back while passing out may include orthostatic syncope, vasovagal syncope, or generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Read below for more information on causes of passing out and relief options.
When you die, your muscles cease to function. It would involve contraction and release of different muscles for your eyes to roll back. Rigor mortis (Latin: rigor "stiffness", mortis "of death") is the stiffening of the muscles after death.
After death, there is are no reflexes of the pupils to light and the cornea also loses its reflex. The cornea of the deceased also become cloudy after two hours of death. Besides that, the pressure in the eyes start to decrease and the eyeballs become flaccid before it they sink into the orbits of the eyes.
Tonic-clonic Seizures
The tonic phase is the first stage of the seizure when the whole body becomes stiff. The eyes roll back or to the side. The pupils of the eyes may change size. Breathing becomes very slow and shallow.
A person having a seizure may seem confused or look like they are staring at something that isn't there. Other seizures can cause a person to fall, shake, and become unaware of what's going on around them.
A conscious dying person can know if they are on the verge of dying. Some feel immense pain for hours before dying, while others die in seconds. This awareness of approaching death is most pronounced in people with terminal conditions such as cancer.
Within hours, blood is pulled downwards, causing splotches on the skin. Because the heart is no longer pumping blood around the body, it starts being pulled down by gravity. As the blood pools, patches appear on the skin within 30 minutes of death.
Visions and Hallucinations
Visual or auditory hallucinations are often part of the dying experience. The appearance of family members or loved ones who have died is common. These visions are considered normal. The dying may turn their focus to “another world” and talk to people or see things that others do not see.
Hearing may indeed be one of the last senses to lose function as humans die.
You might be worried that going to sleep means you might not wake up again. Dr Mannix has found this a common concern among her patients but she reassures them that “becoming unconscious doesn't feel like going to sleep.”
During attacks, you may look pale and feel sweaty. Your eyes will usually stay open.
During fainting, “seizure-like” activity may occur. This shaking or stiffening is thought to be distinct from a true seizure and is due to the brain being briefly deprived of oxygen and blood flow.
Fainting is most commonly confused with epilepsy when the person has brief muscle jerks, twitching or convulsive movements associated with the faint. This is because of the lack of blood supply to the brain at the time, and can happen in over 10% of people who faint.
For the first few minutes of the postmortem period, brain cells may survive. The heart can keep beating without its blood supply. A healthy liver continues breaking down alcohol. And if a technician strikes your thigh above the kneecap, your leg likely kicks, just as it did at your last reflex test with a physician.
Decompensation progresses over a period of minutes even after the pulse is lost. Even when vascular collapse is the primary event, brain and lung functions stops next. The heart is the last organ to fail.
An unexpected discovery made by an international team, examining the results of an EEG on an elderly patient, who died suddenly of a heart attack while the test was in progress.
The first organ system to “close down” is the digestive system. Digestion is a lot of work! In the last few weeks, there is really no need to process food to build new cells.
He said, “When the soul leaves the body, it can take a long time or it can happen very quickly. No matter how, it is painful. It is painful for the one who is dying, and it is painful for those who are left behind. The separation of the soul from the body, that is the ending of life.
Hospice has a program that says that no one should have to die alone, and yet this hospice nurse is telling me to take a break? Some patients want to die when no one else is there. Hospice professionals know that companionship while dying is a personal preference.
Some people are aware of the beginning of a seizure, possibly as much as hours or days before it happens. On the other hand, some people may not be aware of the beginning and therefore have no warning.
For some people with epilepsy, seizures are preceded by a warning. Doctors refer to that warning as an aura, an event that can manifest as music, swirling colors, a memory, a sense of impending doom, a smell or taste, a rising nausea, or an intense sensation of déjà vu.
When the tonic-clonic seizure begins, the person loses consciousness and may fall. Strong tonic spasms of the muscles can force air out of the lungs, resulting in a cry or moan, even though the person is not aware of their surroundings. There may be saliva or foam coming from the mouth.