I’m not sure why you want to find out if drowning is a painful way to die.
But for whatever reason, I will share with you here how painful it is to die by drowning.
But what exactly does it mean to drown?
Drowning occurs when the body is fully submerged in the water, resulting in suffocation, and interference of breathing.
The body is deprived of oxygen during drowning, which can harm organs, particularly the brain.
What causes drowning?
The drowning victim swallows and inhales water first due to a lack of knowledge of how to swim along with panic and anxiety.
As a result, water eventually replaces the air in the lungs.
These add to the body’s weight, causing it to submerge completely beneath the water’s surface.
When the terrified victim screams out for assistance, the lungs expel a significant volume of air.
Some water comes into touch with the laryngeal opening during the attempt to breathe in, causing an involuntary cough response.
The victim’s body weight will rise as he or she continues to drink water.
Eventually, the body’s mean specific gravity surpasses that of the water.
Then, the victim drowns.
What happens to the body when it drowns in freshwater?
- The amount of sodium (salt) in the blood plasma will decrease.
- Low blood count, both absolute and relative.
- Increase in blood fluid content, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of cells in the body.
- The red blood cells are destroyed, and hemoglobin will continue to be released.
Drowning in seawater: The metabolic changes that occur
- As a result of a shift in water balance, the number of big molecules and other solid elements in the blood will increase.
- The body’s red blood cells will shrink.
- The amount of magnesium in your blood will rise.
These are what goes on in the body during the process, and they are sure, part of the evidence that drowning is not fully a painless experience.
Is Drowning Painful?
To begin, it’s good to note that the majority of people who have survived near-drowning and were rescued after losing consciousness say they didn’t feel any discomfort.
So, what could have caused the loss of consciousness?
Let’s have a look.
The influx of water into the lungs could be causing unconsciousness.
The person is deprived of oxygen during this process.
A person who falls into the water and drowns has a three-out-of-four chance of dying painlessly since he becomes insensible almost instantly.
But what about the last four percent?
The rapidity and painlessness of drowning death are thought to be owing mostly to the rapid restriction of blood circulation through the lungs.
However, the agony of suffocation sets in long before this stage is achieved.
This experience quickly leads to loss of consciousness, which is preceded by pleasant tingling sensations, a rapid succession of thoughts, and flashes of light and color, as people who have been rescued from drowning say.
If the victim is exposed to huge amounts of water in his lungs, he drowns faster, and he also suffers from weariness, cold, and hunger if his struggle for life is extended.
What if it is not possible to avoid drowning?
Like when a shipwreck occurs.
The quickest way to die would be to draw water into the lungs by a forceful inspiration as soon as one drowned.
Anyone with the confidence to do so would certainly pass out almost instantly.
All emotions of chilliness and agony would vanish as soon as the fluid-filled his lungs.
Although the prior experience of drowning is never a pleasant one, it could still be one of the pleasant ways to die, compared to others.