Billions before you have died, and billions after you will die to.
It is a fact of life.
Our earth is effectively one big graveyard for generations that lived before us.
But what happens to all of these people after they are gone?
Hello and welcome back to Lifeís Biggest Questions, I am Rebecca Felgate and today
we are asking, What Happens to Our Bodies After We Die?
In this day and age, people make plans surrounding their deaths and, as graveyards fill up to
maximum capacities, a lot of people opt to be incinerated after death and have their
ashes either scattered or stored in some way.
To answer this question fully, we are going to discuss the full process of bodily decomposition.
As a person dies, the muscles in their body contract, which can mean that bodily fluids,
including urine and faeces are dispelled.
In the moments after we take our last breath our body begins to enter something called
Algor Mortis, this is where the blood and subsequently the body cools down to room temperature.
This will why dead people are often described as being ìcold.î After Algor Mortis, the
body enters the Rigor Mortis stage, which is where the blood begins to congeal.
During rigor mortis, the body becomes very stiff and difficult to move.
Rigor Mortis is one of the first signs of decomposition.
It would be around this time that funeral parlours would refrigerate or embalm the body
to slow down the effects of death on the body ahead of a scheduled funeral date.
However, once again, we are going to be approaching the question from a natural standpoint.
The first stage of human decomposition is called autolysis and is kind of a process
of self-digestion, and†begins immediately after death.
As the blood coagulates, the body is unable to circulate oxygen like it is when the heart
is beating.
The excess carbon dioxide in the body causes cell membranes to rupture, which then releases
enzymes than begin to eat the cells.
During this time, cells are gradually dying off, b
If a person is an organ donor, organs have to be removed before this process starts,
so within the first 30 minutes of death.
The bacteria released during this process causes skin discolouration.
At first a personís body will appear green, then purple during the bloating stage.
Bloating will begin as the enzymes present produce gasses.
Often during this time a body can double in size.
During this stage, eyes are pushed out of their sockets and tongues are pushed out of
mouths.
Further fluids will also seep out if eyes and mouths.
This is arguably this most unpleasant part of death, as this is not only when a body
becomes discoloured and bloated, it also gives off a very unpleasant smell during putrefaction.
This is often why in movies, people are portrayed as smelling something very off, then finding
or body, or finding a body and covering their noses.
Animals are able to smell a decomposing body, this would be the time flies and other insects
would eat bodies and lay their eggs.
If maggots are present, they can consume 60 percent of a human body in fewer than seven
days.
Some say that hair and nails grow after a person dies, however this is a visual effect
attributed to scalp and cuticle shrinkage.
Several weeks after death, teeth and nails will fall out.
The rate and effects of decomposition on a body totally depend on where the body is left
after death.
If a body is put in water, it will decompose at half the rate as a body left on land.
Decomposition is slowest underground, as the bacteria that decays a body requires oxygenÖthis
is why some bodies can look totally preserved over time if left in the right conditions,
for example in clay.
Preserved bodies will become leathered from dehydration ñ but unpreserved bodies will
burst open and ooze, eventually, leaving just the skeleton.
It is also important to note that even embalmed bodies will decay too, just at a slower rate.
If left unattended, skeletons will also eventually decayÖas they say, ashes to ashes, dust to
dust.
What happens after we dieÖ.wellÖ the second the lights go out, we will start to decompose
and the rest isnít pretty.
The circumstances and environment of death are huge factors on the initial rate of decay,
as is post death treatment.
Mostly though, unless youíre cremated or mummified, it the end is kinda goey.
Body farms exist across the world to study decomposition rates in humans, with many variables
introduced to understand environments and their effect.
UltimatelyÖonce your gone, there isnít too much point worrying about what happens to
your body after ñ it would be my personal choice that my organs were donated and had
the chance to live on while saving someone elseís lifeÖ but of course that is a much
bigger debate.
SoÖthat is one big question with a big answer for you.
If you want to continue the discussion please feel free to do so in the comments section
down below.
For now, if you want to be the first to hear an answer, make sure you have clicked on the
notification button.
Thanks for tuning in to this video, I am Rebecca Felgate, Iíll see you in the next videoÖfor
now stay curious, stay alert and never ever stop questioning.