Julie McFadden, a seasoned nurse in the US with extensive experience in intensive care, has shed light on the bodily changes that occur after death. Having witnessed numerous deaths throughout her career, Ms McFadden aims to remove the stigma and fear surrounding death. After transitioning to hospice care, she started a YouTube channel that offers candid answers to common questions about dying. One viral video, garnering over 590,000 views, explains exactly what happens to the human body after death, to try and demystify the experience. In the video, she outlined the physical changes that occur in the body after death.
The body ‘relaxes’ after death
The nurse explained that the body undergoes a natural relaxation process right after death, which she described as “messy.” This is the first stage of decomposition, called hypostasis.
“What happens to your body immediately after it dies? It relaxes, just like I’ve been saying. This is why some people might urinate, have bowel movements, or even experience fluids coming from their nose, eyes, or ears. Essentially, all the muscles and systems that typically contain bodily fluids relax. That’s why death can get a little messy,” she shared.
Body temperature drops
According to Nurse Julie, every individual’s body reacts differently after death. The cooling process, known as algor mortis, can begin immediately for some, while others may experience a delay of up to one or two hours. On average, body temperature drops by 1.5 degrees per hour until it eventually reaches the temperature of the surrounding environment.
”Some people take a while, maybe an hour, perhaps an hour and a half. It just depends, but their body temperature will drop. Technically speaking, the body temperature should drop about one and a half degrees Fahrenheit per hour to eventually match whatever the temperature is in the room that they’re in,” she said.
Blood pools downwards
According to Nurse Julie, there’s a lesser-known phenomenon that occurs after death, which many people are unaware of. When someone dies, the blood in their body begins to move towards the ground due to gravity, a process known as livor mortis.
She said, ”If you let someone lie there for long enough – which we do sometimes; you don’t have to hurry up and make sure your loved one leaves the house – if you turn them you will notice usually the back of their legs the whole backside of them will look purple or darker that’s because all their blood is pulling down. Gravity is pulling it down. So they will eventually get a darker colour tone of skin on their backside.”
The body stiffens
Next is the stiffening of the muscles due to the halting of metabolic processes. Rigor mortis typically begins within 2-4 hours post-mortem and can last for up to 72 hours, depending on factors such as environmental conditions and individual physical characteristics. She also said that the body becomes ”very very heavy” after death.
“I’ve witnessed individuals become rigid mere minutes after passing, while others take longer to exhibit this stiffness,” she noted.
The body will feel cool to the touch
Approximately 12 hours post-mortem, the body’s temperature regulation stops, making it feel cool to the touch. ATP, the vital energy currency, is no longer generated, causing the body’s temperature to drop. The nurse explained, “It happens because your body’s metabolism stops and it can no longer produce ATP, which is adenosine triphosphate, which is a mouthful for me to say, but it’s the body’s cellular energy.”
The putrefaction process
The last phase of the body’s decomposition process is known as putrefaction or purification. “This stage is where the body breaks down, returning to its natural state. It’s how bodies would decompose naturally, before the existence of mortuaries and modern funeral practices,” she explained.
Although putrefaction is a normal part of the decomposition process, Nurse Julie acknowledged that it’s rarely witnessed. “However, we usually aren’t exposed to it… but this is a natural part of the body decomposing,” she added.
