It is not uncommon for people at the end of life to voluntarily reduce their nutritional intake or abstain from eating and drinking altogether, reports the Hospice Foundation of America. While this may worry loved ones, experts explain that these dying individuals don’t report feeling hungry or thirsty. Rather than experiencing discomfort, the dying person may instead experience a feeling of calm or euphoria as a result of metabolism changes in response to the lack of food and liquid.
Alternatively, researchers from a 2013 animal study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that rats placed in a near-death state through experimental cardiac arrest immediately experienced a spike in gamma brain wave activity. Gamma brain waves are associated with a heightened state of arousal, cognition, and focus, explains WebMD. High levels of gamma wave activity have also been linked with increased feelings of happiness and receptivity.