Death is the ultimate truth of life, but does everything end with death? Science says no. Even when the body stops moving and the heart stops beating, a world inside our head remains awake for a few moments. This is such a mysterious situation, where a person is watching the last film of his life and listening to the words of his loved ones. Death is not just a moment, but a slow process.

Death is not a moment but a long process

It is generally believed that a person dies as soon as the heart stops beating, but science calls it ‘clinical death’. In fact, death is not a sudden event, but a gradual process. As soon as the heart stops, the supply of oxygen and blood to the brain stops. Within the first 4 to 6 minutes, brain cells i.e. neurons start dying. After about 10 to 15 minutes, this damage increases so much that it cannot be repaired. Despite this, some parts of the brain remain active using the last of their energy.

Digital replay of memories in last moments

In the year 2022, a study conducted on an 87-year-old patient surprised the scientists. The EEG machine was on during the patient’s death, which recorded a huge surge in ‘gamma waves’ 30 seconds before and after the heart stopped. These are the same waves that a person feels when he is in deep meditation, dreaming or reliving his old memories. This indicates that while dying, the brain ‘replays’ the most important events of life like a movie, which scientists call ‘life review’.

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hold on to the power of hearing till the end

Can we hear even after death? The answer to this question is found in a 2020 research by the ‘University of British Columbia’. Researchers found that ‘hearing’ is the last sense of human being which leaves us last. Even when patients are completely unresponsive and unconscious, their brain’s ‘auditory processing system’ still reacts to sounds. That means a person on the verge of death can hear his family’s conversations, prayers or music, even if he is unable to respond.

Consciousness lasting 30 to 60 minutes

Experts believe that under special circumstances the brain can remain active for hours. If the body is cold or the CPR process is going on, spikes in brain waves have been observed. In some cases, neural activity has been found 30 to 60 minutes after heart stoppage. This is also called ‘Wave of Death’, where the brain exerts its full power. This is why the process of organ donation is always started only after complete confirmation of ‘brain death’.

Death of neurons and the limits of science

Although the brain remains active for some time, it is important to understand that the cells gradually die. The brain cannot survive for hours or days without oxygen. Science is still trying to understand the fine line where consciousness disappears completely. This research can be of comfort to those families who bid their last farewell to their loved ones, because their words and condolences are reaching the mind of the dying person.

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