Are There Any Ways to Die Painlessly?

Take a Shot in the Head

This method will make things a mess, but it can be achieve painless death. Getting shot in the head is theoretically in an instantaneous death and therefore painless, but the reality is much different. Five percent of those shot in the head will survive while a large portion of the remaining 95% doesn't die instantly. Instead, they will slowly and painfully bleed out or die of other painful complications. Basically, if the bullet doesn't hit the brain or a major vein or artery, you still may survive. You may also live through the experience, but end up brain dead or without language ability, memory, or sight. Other possible consequences include paralysis, mental retardation, nerve damage, and impaired motor function.

Hang Yourself

Hanging yourself with an ideal drop should theoretically instantly break your neck. The issue, however, is that finding this drop height requires careful calculations based on weight, height, and more. In the ideal long drop, the noose’s torque will dislocate a bone in the neck, severing the spinal cord. Death may take a few minutes, but you’d be unconscious for it. The thing to remember, however, is that any miscalculation will lead to death by suffocation or strangulation, which may take several seconds to minutes to become unconscious and five to twenty minutes to die. This process is really excruciating.

Jump Off a Tall Building

Many movies have scenes of people jumping off from a high place and dying in peace. Jumping off a tall building seems a painless way to die and theoretically will provide instant death. The issue, however, is how the death occurs. You probably won’t feel anything if you fall with your face first. If your feet hit first, you will have a second of excruciating pain right before your head hits the ground and die. There is, however, a great deal of psychological pain. Survivors who have tried to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge unanimously agree that they instantly regretted their decision once jumped, but the fall itself takes four seconds, in which you continue to regret.

Overdose on Drugs

The theory with overdosing on drugs, such as sleeping pills, is that you will fall into a deep sleep and die. However overdose will likely cause massive shock and pain because your heart will fail before the drug’s sedative effects take hold. Your body is also likely to throw up the poison, leaving you with enough of the drug to kill you, but not enough to do so quickly. Then you will have a drawn out death via liver or kidney failure.

Carbon Monoxide Inhalation

Use this as a painless way to die? Then there are three main methods of dying via it: running your car in the garage, lighting charcoal with all the windows shut, or staying in an enclosed area with fire. It is possible that you will fall asleep from the carbon monoxide before it prevents oxygen from reaching the brain and killing you. Keep in mind, however, that if you don’t die, you can have short term effects such as dizziness, loss of consciousness, nausea, breathlessness, and headaches. Long term effects include brain damage and paralysis.

Drown Yourself

The time it takes to drown will vary greatly, such as the water temperature and ability to swim. Typically, a drowning victim will hold their breath for as long as they can once submerged and this will be between 30 and 90 seconds. At this point, they inhale water, cough, splutter, and inhale some more. The water within the lungs prevents gas exchange and makes the airway seal shut. You will feel burning and tearing in your chest before losing consciousness, something that can be very painful.

Electrocution

Most accidental, at-home electrocutions will involve death by arrhythmia, or heart stop. You will usually become unconscious after about 10 seconds. Theoretically, higher currents will lead to quicker unconsciousness, but this is not always the case. You may require more time to die, during which you are in pain. You may also end up with burns from poor conducting materials. It is also possible that the current won’t reach the brain and you may die from the brain heating up or suffocation for the breathing muscle is paralyzed, which is really unpleasant.

Lethal Injection

Most people assume that a lethal injection should be a painless way to die as it was specifically developed for this purpose. It includes an anesthetic thiopental which is supposed to prevent pain, then a paralytic to stop breathing, and potassium chloride to (nearly) instantly stop the heart. The problem is that you would need the proper dose of each drug, and even then you are likely to convulse and heave painfully during the process.

Other Common Ways to Die

Another popular method is cutting your wrists, but it will take a long time to bleed out and carries the risk of infection. If you don’t do it right, you will painfully bleed for several minutes and death would take two to four hours. Some people choose to set themselves on fire, but this is perhaps the most painful method of death. Others will try jumping in front of a moving bus, car, train, or truck, but most people are saved, with painful injuries.

If you start to truly contemplate suicide, talk to a loved one or get support. The following video can help you realize just how precious life truly is: