10 Interesting Facts About Death

What Happens To Us When We Die

Death is a constant force that always exists. We encounter it every day in some form or fashion, whether it's seeing a lifeless bird in the grass, or hearing of a celebrity or person we know who has passed away. It is a constant part of our every day life. So much mystery surrounds death, and it scares quite a few people (much like the coma). Several cultures celebrate the passing of life, while others live in fear. The unknown always allows room for worry. Though different views of what happens when we die exist through different religions and sciences, there are several things that happen to us when we die that are proven and known to be true. I've compiled a list of the top 10 interesting facts about death. These interesting facts all may make some of the mystery that scares us disappear, while some of these interesting facts are just cool tidbits of information.

1. This may not come as a shock, but every single person alive will eventually die. This often times gets overlooked in our society as we tend not to think about situations like this. Roughly 150,000 different people pass away around the world every single day.

2. According to United States Law, a person is not legally pronounced dead unless a Death Certificate is approved by a licensed medical practitioner.

3. Popular urban legend states that our fingernails, toenails, and hair all continue to grow after we die. This isn't true. Our body starts to decompose after we're gone, and growth stops.

4. Mummification and embalming were used by some ancient cultures in an attempt to stop the decaying process of the human body.

5. Rigor Mortis occurs after death, which causes a chemical change in muscle tissue, which causes the limbs of a corpse to be difficult to move

6. A "death erection" happens in victims who have been executed by hanging. It is caused by pressures in the cerebellum, which cause the male to become erect after they die.

7. Your body releases a chemical known as DMT as you near and enter death. This same chemical is released when you're born and when you dream.

8. When you die, your body causes you to have a bowel movement, thus, making you soil yourself whenever you pass.

9. Heart disease is the number 1 cause of death in the United States. Cancer is the 2nd, and stroke is the 3rd.

10. Passing away by "old age" is impossible. Age itself cannot make us die, however, as we grow older our bodies are more vulnerable to disease and organ failure. This is how a person dies of old age.