There is one sound a person makes that means they have less than 24 hours left to live
The sound can seem really scary, but it’s completely normal when someone is about to die
Experts are raising awareness over an unsettling sound people make when they’re about to die.
A number of phenomena occur when someone nears death, with some even happening months in advance, as health experts have also admitted that most people say the same thing on their death bed.
However, there is one common occurrence that loved ones will see and hear when there’s around just 24 hours left.
Loved ones might become worried if they hear the sound (Getty Stock Photo)
What is the ‘death rattle’?
According to Medical News Today, it’s all to do with the shift in breathing patterns and how ‘secretions may collect in the throat’.
End-of-life care specialist, Hospice Nurse Julie, has previously explained this phenomenon, known as the ‘death rattle’: “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,” the health expert said.
The ‘death rattle’ is a natural part of the dying process (Getty Stock Photo)
What does the ‘death rattle’ sound like?
Part of the dying process, it is when someone is no longer able to swallow as they are in their final life stages, while ‘secretions in the respiratory tract may be increased’.
Described as a ‘crackling, wet noise’, it is louder when the person breathes.
Sometimes it can sound like a soft moan with each breath, or even a loud gurgling or snoring sound.
Family and friends may worry for the individual doing the death rattle, but luckily there is no pain or discomfort for them.
On average, the person will live for about 25 hours following the death rattle, but studies show that the process lasts longer for those in hospice care compared to in hospital.
Health professionals can do a number of things to make the noises less noticeable (Getty Stock Photo)
What can you do to ease the ‘death rattle’ sound?
Essentially, the person will no longer be able to move saliva and phlegm from their throat, as breathing patterns will change. A dying person also may not breathe for several moments, signalling laboured breathing.
But what can a nurse do to ease the noise for those around the person?
Any one of the following:
- 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
At the end of the day, it is a natural stage of dying and medical professionals will explain the noise to any concerned loved ones.
The treatments above will likely not prevent a death rattle though, so it’s worth knowing that it’s nothing to worry about.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Health warning issued to people who sleep less than seven hours a night
I think I need to start going to bed sooner.
There’s a new health warning for people who don’t get at least seven hours of sleep a night, and it’s worth listening to.
I’ll level with you, dear reader, I’m something of a night owl and absolutely do not get enough sleep, even though every night I tell myself this is the time I’ll get my head down for a sensible eight hours.
It basically never happens, and I might be setting myself up to pay quite the price further down the line if a new study has anything to say about it.
According to PA, if you’re getting less than seven hours of sleep a night you’ve got a seven percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure over time.
Meanwhile, if you’re like me and make the catastrophically unwise decision to get less than five hours of sleep on some nights, then it’s an 11 percent higher risk.
Getty Stock Photo
These are preliminary findings shown at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session.
Kaveh Hosseini, assistant professor of cardiology at Iran’s Tehran Heart Center, discussed the study’s findings that women appeared to be at a seven percent higher risk compared to men.
He said: “Getting too little sleep appears to be riskier in females.
“The difference is statistically significant, though we are not sure it’s clinically significant and should be further studied.
“What we do see is that lack of good sleep patterns may increase the risk of high blood pressure, which we know can set the stage for heart disease and stroke.”
To gather this information, researchers studied over a million people in total from six different countries who did not have high blood pressure when tests began.
Getty Stock Photo
These 1,044,035 people were followed for an average of five years each, and the study adjusted for heart disease risk, sex, education, smoking status and weight.
In this way they were able to find that not getting enough sleep appeared to correlate with a higher blood pressure.
If you’re having trouble with your sleep then the study’s researchers reckon you should go and see the doctor to talk about what might be done.
However, professor Hosseini said there needed to be more research done into the link between sleep and very unhealthy conditions such as high blood pressure.
His advice to people who wanted to make the most of their time in the land of nod was to get ‘seven to eight hours of sleep’ a night.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Scientists left with major concern after average penis size increases by ‘24%’
There are numerous health concerns that have come with the increase in average manhood size
Scientists have been left concerned after average penis size has increased by 24 percent.
Sorry to ruin your evening lads, but it looks like science has had its say with regards to manhood size once again as the goalposts continue to move.
Health experts in the past have weighed in with their takes on what the average penis size is based on their own research and findings.
But it seems that the figure known as average across the world has changed over the last three decades due to some new findings – and it may be bad news for some.
Dr Jen Caudle made a TikTok in 2023 that claimed that the average flaccid penis size was 3.61 inches (9.17cm), with the size of an erect penis being 5.17 inches (13.13cm), which made her 200,000+ followers happy on the whole.
While others have revealed how to tell how much a man is packing by certain parts of the body that are actually readily visible, as one expert said that according to a Japanese study, the size of a man’s nose can be indicative of what’s downstairs.
One that’s more well known, is by the length of one’s index finger, proving the old schoolboy belief that the length between your thumb in index shows the length of your Johnson.
But brace yourselves as some surprising findings have been published in the World Journal of Men’s Health by researchers from Stanford University.
Average penis size has increased by 24 percent (Getty Stock Photo)
The study involved 55,000 (willingly participating) men getting their members measured, which led to a discovery that is sure to shake the world – maybe.
It found that, on average, penis size across the world has seen a huge 24 percent increase over just 29 years – which has left scientists worried.
Back in 1992, the average penis size was 12.19cm, though in 2021, the figure now sits at 15.34cm.
Led by Michael Eisenberg, the 2023 study may not be good news according to experts as they believe that sedentary lifestyles and hormone-disrupting substances are thought to play a role in this increase.
In an interview with the Stanford blog, Eisenberg said: “There could be a number of factors at play, such as chemical exposure, like pesticides or hygiene products, interacting with our hormonal systems.
“These endocrine-disrupting chemicals — there are many — exist in our environment and our diet.
Scientists think that an increase in size brings about some health problems. (Getty Stock Photo)
“As we change our body’s constitution that also affects our hormonal milieu. Chemical exposure has also been posited as a cause for boys and girls going into puberty earlier, which can affect genital development.”
However, he adds that this will need further research as they will need to look at ‘other patient populations — such as the pediatric population — to see if there are similar changes’.
Super Deporte also reported that scientists are worried about the quality of sperm in men, which they say had plummeted by 60 percent – something that is attributed to an increase in genital defects and tumours, as well as a drop in sperm count and serum testosterone levels.
Essentially, it concluded that the exact reasons behind larger penises should be investigated further.
So it looks like if you’re in the previous bracket of what was considered ‘average’, you might be better off – so chin up.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photos
Astronauts who have spent hundreds of hours in space share the worst things about being there
On the one hand you get to go to space, on the other hand…
If you’ve ever looked up to the skies and wondered what it would be like to travel beyond the confines of the Earth in an adventure to space then you’re absolutely not alone.
For now it’s still the purview of astronauts, as commercial space travel is still quite some time away from becoming an option to all of us.
Some billionaires have blasted off into space for a bit and even taken a few famous faces along for the ride, but for now, space travel is still for astronauts and the astronomically wealthy.
I suppose there’s not much point to having unfathomable amounts of money if you can’t blast Captain Kirk himself up into space, but when William Shatner became the oldest person in the world to go to space he said he experienced ‘overwhelming sadness’.
He described feeling a contrast in the ‘vicious coldness of space’ stacked up against the ‘warm nurturing of Earth below’.
For the people who’ve been up there it can be hard to describe what it’s like. (Carla Cioffi/NASA via Getty Images)
Yes, it turns out there are downsides to space travel and what the Star Trek actor experienced is something called the ‘Overview Effect‘, which refers to the cognitive change felt from observing our world from space.
For some people looking back on that little blue marble we inhabit and seeing how small we are in the grand scheme of things can put things into perspective.
For astronauts with hundreds of hours spent in space their personal worst things tend to be slightly different.
A trio of them told The Sun, the newspaper and not the thing at the centre of our solar system, what the worst thing about going to space was.
As you can imagine there’s nowhere quite like space to make you feel a distance between yourself and everyone else, with astronaut Shannon Walker saying the hardest thing was ‘being away from your friends and family’.
Shannon Walker said the toughest bit about going to space is how much you miss your friends and family. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)
She said the ‘best bit of space is going to space’ and explained that it’s hard to sum up the magnificence of getting to space.
Meanwhile, fellow astronaut Stan Love who has spent over 300 hours in space told The Sun the biggest problem he had is that you ‘don’t feel so good for the first few days’.
According to the astronaut, ‘the first three days everyone has an upset stomach’ when they go to space, or people pretend they don’t have it, and after that the feeling subsides.
Then, of course, it returns once you’re back on Earth.
Meanwhile, one venerable retired astronaut, Jack Lousma, sounded like he never wanted to come back down again as he said the worst thing was ‘to come home’.
Featured Image Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images / Carla Cioffi/NASA via Getty Images
Topics: NASA, Science, Space, Mental Health
Joe Harker
Doctors say there are seven things they wished adults would do every day to help them live longer
Might be time to incorporate some of these into your day-to-day life
A series of doctors have revealed the seven things they wish we’d all do in order to extend our lifespan – and it includes things you can start doing today.
There comes a time in every adults life – usually around the age of 25 when our brain’s prefrontal cortex finishes developing, or after the first grey hair – when we release that it’s time to start making healthier choices.
Long gone are the days where you can get away with spending the weekends binge drinking and soaking up the alcohol with an assortment of greasy takeaways; you’re now at the age where taking care of your body.
Thinking about aging and our inevitable mortality can be pretty terrifying, but thankfully, there is an abundance of advice from medical experts on how to start living better – most of which don’t involve breaking the bank either.
Below is a list of seven doctor approved tips which will improve your quality of life.
Keep moving
Now I hate to start by stating the obvious, but keeping mobile is a critical part of looking after your health. Unfortunately a lot of modern society is engineered towards a sedentary lifestyle – especially if you spend your working day at a desk.
According to studies from the Heart Research Institute, a sedentary lifestyle puts you at a bigger risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
This isn’t to say that you need to dedicate your entire life to going to the gym or running marathons, as simple changes such as walking and stretching every day can make a difference.
Be social
Loneliness is a major concern in our society, particular amongst older generations.
Research highlighted by Age UK reveals that social engagement has an impact on brain health, while Dr. Faisal Tai told HuffPost that elderly people should aim for ‘at least one positive social interaction every day’.
Getting outdoors and staying social can do wonders for our wellbeing (Getty Stock Images)
This advice can also be helpful for younger generations as well, serving as a reminder to stop doom scrolling and see your friends face-to-face.
Use your brain
Anyone who was a child during the reign of the Nintendo DS will remember being gifted the game ‘Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training’ – and with good reason.
Research shows that enjoying activities which stimulate our noggins can be an important way to protect us against cognitive decline.
While Alzheimer’s society notes that there isn’t currently a strong link between brain training and lowering dementia risk, keeping yourself mentally stimulated is never a bad idea.
“You need to exercise your mind every day to keep sharp,” Dr. Steve Fallek added to HuffPost.
Eat well
None of us are immune to the allure of sweet treats and fast food, however, it is important to eat healthier foods as you age.
This doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to pizza and chocolate for good, but enjoying it in moderation as part of a varied diet is the way to go.
“It may be difficult to change overnight, so I recommend changing one aspect of your diet at a time with a medium-term goal to eliminate harmful foods.” Dr. Nadim Geloo told Huffpost.
Daily exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous to be beneficial (Getty Stock Images)
Spend time outdoors
The term ‘go outside and touch grass’ is an insult to people who are chronically online these days, but there is good reasoning behind it.
According to research from the University of California, being out in nature can improve our mental wellbeing as well as allowing us to increase our vitamin D levels (something which most of us UK residents are deficient in).
Just don’t forget to take your suncream with you.
Don’t stress it
This one is much easier said than done but managing your stress levels is critical as you get older.
Chronic stress can impact every part of the body, from the heart to our mental health and digestive issues. It also increases our risk of strokes.
Therefore it is important to make time in our lives for activities which bring us joy and relaxation.
Chronic stress can be detrimental to every part of our body (Getty Stock Images)
Attend routine doctors appointments
Again the hustle and bustle of daily life means that we often overlook simple things such as making GP appointments or getting our eyes tested. However this is especially important as you get older.
“While prevention is key, early detection is also important for any disease, which means keeping up with recommended medical screenings,” Dr Sulanga Misra told HuffPost.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock
