Is Dying in Your Sleep Painless?

If you ask anyone how they want to die, most people will say that they want to die in their sleep.  (Of course, you have to be really careful before you ask anyone that question, but anyway ...) The reason is that dying in your sleep is thought to be painless.

But is it?

The big problem is that we can't anyone who died in their sleep if it was a painful experience or not.  I mean really died -- not one of those freakin' OBE things. 

It is hoped that by dying in your sleep, you can get through the whole messy death thing while unconscious.  It may not work that way.  You may wake up before falling asleep.  What do you die of when you die in your sleep?  Either suffocation or total sudden heart failure.

Best-selling fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett did a documentary for the BBC, Choosing to Die on assisted suicides where you apparently die in your sleep.  The death of Peter Smedley was filmed for the documentary.  It certainly didn't seem painless.  Smedley wanted to die (and did) complained of a terrible thirst before he finally expired.

Anyone who has had a pet euthanized is not sure that the pet suffered before dying. Although it is a very swift death and really the only humane option for pets suffering from incurable ailments, just try to tell a pet owner that one minute after they have witnessed their pet being put to sleep. The pet sometimes seems very upset (although that could be fear of the vets office rather than pain.) Again -- we do not know if the pet felt any pain during the process.

Journalist Elizabeth Simpson interviewed many in the medical profession about whether dying in your sleep is painless. The general conclusion was that out of all the known ways a person could die, it was "a great way to go."

Image of L'Inconnue de la Seine death mask from Wikimedia Commons.