Dying from lack of oxygen also known as hypoxia is a complex process and what it's like to die from a lack of oxygen or hypoxia can vary depending on the cause of the lack of oxygen and the individual.
Initially when a person is experiencing a lack of oxygen or hypoxia they will often become confused, have difficulty breathing and a rapid heart rate.
Then as the oxygen levels continue dropping the person can experience loss of consciousness, seizures and even death within minutes if you don't get the person oxygen promptly.
The human brain is very vulnerable to lack of oxygen or oxygen deprivation and as a result brain damage can result in just minutes.
Death by hypoxia is not always painful but can be distressing and the sensation of air hunger or breathlessness can be perceived as painful by some people.
Although death by hypoxia as a result of suffocation can be painful and can cause chest pain and the struggle for air can also be intensely painful.
In some cases of suffocation, the buildup of carbon dioxide or CO2 can also cause distress and discomfort as your body's alarm response is triggered by rising CO2 levels.
Early symptoms of hypoxia include confusion, fatigue, impaired judgement and even euphoria and as the hypoxia progresses, more pronounced symptoms can occur which include headache, breathlessness, nausea and even a loss of consciousness.
Lack of oxygen is not painful but it is distressing and can be uncomfortable.
However lack of oxygen is often distressing and also uncomfortable as well.
The lack of oxygen itself is not painful and doesn't cause pain, although your body's reaction to a lack of oxygen can lead to and cause symptoms such as confusion, nausea and headache.
Hypoxia does not trigger the pain receptors in the body directly.
Although your body's response to low oxygen levels can cause various symptoms which can be uncomfortable.
Some symptoms that lack of oxygen can cause are headache, nausea, confusion and impaired judgement as well as shortness of breath.
Hypoxia triggers your body to breathe faster and more deeply which can be uncomfortable.
And a lack of oxygen to your brain can impair your cognitive function and cause confusion and impaired judgement.
Your body's fight or flight response to hypoxia can also trigger nausea and vomiting.
Low oxygen can also constrict your blood vessels in your brain and cause headaches.
If your oxygen gets dangerously low it can also lead to death.
In severe cases, hypoxia can cause coma, seizures and eventually death.
These issues are a result of severe brain damage and the inability of your body to function properly.
It has also been suggested by research that chronic hypoxia can affect your pain perception and reduce sensitivity to pain in some cases.