The sound means someone has less than 24 hours until they die.
Experts are raising awareness for a sound a person makes when they are about to die.
The scary or unsettling noise can mean a person has less than 24 hours left to live.
A number of events occur when someone is near death, some even months in advance, as it’s been revealed by health experts that most people say the same thing on their deathbeds.
However, this noise, commonly known as the ‘death rattle’ is one of the most common occurrences loved ones will see and hear when time is running out.
Medical News Today reported that the noise is all to do with the shift in breathing patterns and how ‘secretions may collect in the throat’.
Hospice Nurse, Julie, previously explained the phenomenon: “This is just a collection of a small bit of saliva in the back of the throat that just sounds really bad.
“Fever happens a lot too because we lose the ability to control the core temperature, so our temperature will fluctuate at the end of life.
“Again, it’s all very normal and part of the death and dying process if you are dying naturally at home,” said the end-of-life care specialist.
The ‘death rattle’, described as a ‘crackling, wet noise’, gains volume as the person breathes.
It is to sound like a soft moan with each breath, or a loud gurgling or snoring sound.
Family and friends may worry when their hear the noise, however, there is no pain or discomfort for the person experiencing it.
On average, the person will live for about 25 hours after the death rattle, but studies show the process lasts longer for those in hospice care compared to in hospital.
Nurses or carers can do the following in order to ease the noise for those surrounding the person.
- Turn them onto their side
- Raise their head so the secretions can drain
- Moisten the mouth with damp swabs
- Use suction to drain the secretions
- Limit fluid intake
- Use medication to clear the secretions
These treatments won’t prevent the rattle, however, it is a natural stage of dying and nothing to worry about.
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