There’s a sound a person makes when they have less than a day left to live: Here’s what it means

There are moments near the end of life that those in palliative care recognise instantly. Among them is a sound, unsettling to the ear but familiar to nurses and hospice workers, that quietly announces the body’s final transition. It is a sound that often means a person has less than a day to live. Though distressing for families, it is one of nature’s clearest signals that death is near. In the weeks and months before death, the body begins to slow down. A person may start to sleep more, eat and drink less, and gradually withdraw from conversation and activity. These subtle changes are part of the body’s preparation for shutting down. A few days before death, some people experience what’s known as “the rally,” also called terminal lucidity or pre-mortem surge. During this short w