Before reading this article, please click "Follow", which is not only convenient for you to discuss and share, but also brings you a different sense of participation, thank you for your support.
Review
Death is an unavoidable end for each of us. When we are children, we may suddenly have the question of "what will it be like after death" in the quiet of the night, but as adults, we gradually forget about the trivial things of life. However, scientists have never stopped exploring this mysterious territory.
A medical study revealed a shocking truth: even if the heart stops beating, consciousness may still be continuing. Imagine that when your heart stops beating, you can still feel everything around you, isn't it amazing?
Still conscious after "death"?
In a 2014 study at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, scientists conducted a detailed survey of more than 2,000 patients with cardiac arrest. Some of these patients experience a wonderful phenomenon of consciousness before cardiac resuscitation.
Studies have found that about 40% of people who are rescued from cardiac arrest still have conscious brain activity after their hearts have stopped. The patients said they were able to recall certain mental activities after being declared dead. About 1 in 5 said they felt a sense of tranquility like never before, and 1 in 3 said they felt as if time had slowed down.
Some people even said that they saw the golden light in the sky during that time. About 2% of patients said they could clearly recall what happened around them after being rescued, as if they were looking down at their bodies in the air and observing the actions of medical staff as if they were "out of body".
A 57-year-old social worker was able to clearly recall the sound of medical staff operating equipment after his heart stopped, and his description was basically the same as the actual situation.
It sounds almost like a plot out of a paranormal novel, and these cases have forced scientists to rethink the relationship between cardiac arrest and consciousness.
Previously, scientists generally believed that when the heart stopped beating, the brain would lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen in about 20-30 seconds. There will be no conscious activity in the brain until the heart is back beating. However, in this study from the University of Southampton, there were at least some cases where the brain remained conscious for 3 minutes after the heart stopped beating.
A peculiar near-death experience
What happens to the brain during the 3 minutes when it is not unconscious? In fact, it is a peculiar phenomenon known as a "near-death experience" that makes the person feel as if they have entered another world or dimension.
Near-death experiences usually occur in cardiac arrest, severe trauma, or other life-threatening situations. This phenomenon can be triggered when the body is under extreme stress and the brain is about to lose consciousness.
Many people who have experienced it have reported seeing an unusually bright light and feeling like they are moving towards a light source, which is very warm and comforting, with an indescribable sense of calm.
Some people feel as if time has become very slow, and every second is being extended indefinitely; While others feel that time spends up, as if they have gone through a review of their entire life and seen every moment of their past experience.
In addition, many people experience an "out-of-body experience", as if their consciousness has been stripped away and the "soul" is suspended in the air, looking down on their body and their surroundings.
Not all near-death experiences are positive, though. Some have reported very horrific experiences, accompanied by extreme fear and loneliness, as if trapped in the dark with no way to escape. These negative experiences, while less common than positive ones, have a profound impact on those who experience them.
In some cases, the experiencers also saw deceased relatives or friends, who they described as seemingly greeting them, bringing them a sense of warmth and reassurance. The experience is often described as very real and memorable, and the memories remain clear and deep even after regaining consciousness.
Possible mechanisms and principles
Could it be that these strange feelings are what each of us experiences at the end of our lives? Isn't it true that everyone can perceive the process of their own death?
Scientists have conducted in-depth research on this phenomenon, trying to uncover the physiological and psychological mechanisms behind it.
Scientists believe that near-death experiences may be related to the brain's physiological response to hypoxia. Researchers at the University of Michigan have experimented with mice and found that after cardiac arrest, the brains of mice still have significant electrical activity that is very similar to neuronal responses related to consciousness and vision.
Scientists believe this may be the physiological basis of the NDE. When the heart stops beating, certain areas of the brain remain active and produce electrical signals associated with consciousness, which in turn causes the experiencer to experience various visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations.
On the other hand, "out-of-body experience" is considered to be an illusion and delusion formed under certain conditions, and a person can experience this phenomenon even in a normal state.
The team at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden did such an experiment. They had some of the subjects wear a special device. This is an eyecup with a camera attached to it, which is placed 2 meters behind the subject, which is equivalent to the volunteer looking at their body in the third person.
The researcher then stood on the side of the camera's field of view, holding a plastic rod in each hand. He poked the subject's chest with the plastic rod in his right hand and made synchronized or asynchronous poking motions in front of the camera with the plastic rod in his left hand, without actually touching the subject.
This setting creates a misalignment of tactile and visual information, causing the subject to feel that the tactile sense is misplaced, as if they are really "out of the body".
end
When the human heart stops beating, the near-death experience formed by the continuous activity of the brain shows us the tenacity and mystery of human consciousness. While not everyone experiences these wonderful sensations, these phenomena provide a unique window for scientists to explore the boundaries between consciousness and life.
Death is not a simple end, but a complex phenomenon. It is hoped that future scientists will reveal more about the mysteries of human consciousness and death through continuous scientific research, and help us better understand the wonder and profundity of life.
Finally, due to the rules of the platform, you will only be considered a fan if you interact with me more. If you like my articles, you can click "Follow" and receive the article push as soon as you become a fan.