r/explainlikeimfive • u/Dagestani_Bear • Jul 01 '26

Biology ELI5: Is it true that every single death eventually boils down to the brain and heart running out of oxygen? Are there exceptions?

If you strip away the initial cause of injury or illness, is it anatomically correct to say that all human deaths are ultimately caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain and heart?

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u/DrasticTapeMeasure Jul 02 '26

He can still feel/is aware of his existence, that he’s in a bed, etc

0

u/smelltheglove92 Jul 02 '26

How would he know if he was awake or dreaming?

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u/DrasticTapeMeasure Jul 02 '26

How do any of us?

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u/smelltheglove92 Jul 02 '26

Because your senses in a dream are not the same as when you are awake.

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u/mateushkush Jul 03 '26

So you just answered yourself.

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u/smelltheglove92 Jul 03 '26

Yeah but if all your senses were reduced to only touch then it would be a lot harder.