The sound a person makes that means they have less than 24 hours left to live and how to spot it

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The ‘death rattle’ explained:

It’s an unsettling sound which can be heard by those around the person’s death bed, and signals that they are ‘approaching death’, according to Medical News Today.

They explain that ‘a moaning, snoring, or rattling sound’ may be heard with each breath, and could occur when a person is no longer able to swallow, cough, or clear the back of their throat from saliva or mucus due to increased secretions in the respiratory tract.

It can be heard as a ‘crackling, wet noise’ that is amplified with breathing, while others have reported that it can sound like soft moaning or a loud gurgling/snoring sound.

Despite the oddity of the sound and the ‘choking’ sound, no evidence points to the dying person being aware of the sound or being in pain.

Can you manage the death rattle?

While it isn’t painful for the individual, the dying person’s loved ones may find the noise distressing, so a number of things can be done to ease the noise:

  • You can turn the person onto their side
  • Drain secretions from the mouth with suction
  • Elevate their head so the secretions can drain
  • Use medication to clear the secretions
  • Moisten the mouth with damp swabs
  • Limit fluid intake

While these won’t prevent the death rattle, which is a natural stage of dying, it can reduce the sound.

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