: What really happens when someone “dies in their sleep”? And is it really as peaceful and calming as people say it is?
In: 9
Your body has a bunch of systems. Lungs, heart, digestive, etc.
Dying in one’s sleep simply means one of your bodies systems has slowly been getting worse and worse to the point that it stop functioning complety and you die as a result.
I don’t know if there is a “common system” that is the major cause of death when you sleep, but I would guess it would be your heart, because without blood pumping places (especially your brain), you die pretty quickly, and it can be either painless or so sudden that the person doesn’t ever awaken. Or maybe it’s been the digestive and your body simply doesn’t have the necessary nutrients and electrolytes to function.
I’m certain there’s been studies looking into this very thing, but I have not read any of this research, so I may be wrong.
Hopefully someone more familiar with the literature can chime in and give us an ELI5.
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