Everything that happens to your body after you die

There's a lot of transparency around the dying process, and many people are aware of what happens to the body in a person's final hours. From speech and vision being the first senses to go, to finally losing all hearing, the person will then drift away as they're officially pronounced dead by a medic. But it seems after death, the body's journey is still shrouded in mystery, with many wondering what happens to them or their loved ones once they're physically gone. Here, we explain the process step by step, from the minute the white sheet is placed over a person's head, to the body's final voyage before cremation. If that's the way you want to go, that is… (Picture: Getty Images)

What happens immediately after someone dies?

Assuming the person has died in hospital - and of natural causes - the staff looking after the patient have to carry out a few non-negotiable duties. This includes recording the time of death, informing the family if they're not already present, issuing a medical death certificate, and finally, washing the body so it's free from any blood or bodily fluids. However, there are some extra jobs for the medical team to do should the deceased be registered as an organ donor or if the patient was fitted with a pacemaker or mechanical prosthetics. Let's unpack this quickly… (Picture: Getty Images)

What happens if the person is an organ donor?

In this instance, before the body heads to the morgue, the hospital medical staff will retrieve the organs the person has stated they're happy to donate. If the deceased declined to donate specific organs, for example the eyes, surgeons will leave them as requested. If the person was not on the organ donor register at all, staff won't remove any (Picture: Getty Images)

What happens if the person died with a pacemaker or similar?

If the deceased had a pacemaker (an electronic device that regulates the heartbeat), hospital staff may remove it as a safety precaution. This is due to the medical device having gas-powered batteries, which can explode in the cremation chamber. Medics are also likely to remove any mechanical prosthetics for safety reasons, too. Note: it's actually more common for trained staff to remove such devices at the crematorium rather than the doctors, but it can happen in the hospital too. At this point, they'll also take away anything else with batteries or machinery, like jewellery and watches. Once these jobs have been done, the hospital can then pass the care of the deceased onto the funeral director, who will take on the next steps (Picture: Getty Images)

When does the funeral director collect the body?

Before collecting the body - whether it be from the hospital, the hospice, or the person's home - medical staff will have placed a tag on the toe or around the ankle. This is so the funeral directors can correctly identify the identity of the person. According to many different funeral providers, the funeral directors will then transport the body to the crematorium in a specially converted private ambulance, where it will be stored in the mortuary fridge. The reason for this is to preserve the body until the cremation, and to ensure the deceased is suitable for viewing should family or friends wish to say their final goodbyes (Picture: Getty Images)

What happens when the body gets to the funeral directors?

Once the body has arrived, the deceased is 'signed in' (if you will) to the funeral director's system, where a permanent record of important information about the body is listed. Initially, this will just consist of the person's name, date of death, age, where they were transferred from, date of transfer, who transferred the body and valuables on the body (not including clothing). The rest of the information, which is usually any important notes the mortuary staff need to know about the body whilst in their care, is added throughout the deceased's 'stay.' When the funeral time comes and the body is released from the mortuary, the deceased will be 'signed out.' This is so the funeral parlour can keep a permanent record of every body that goes in and out (Picture: Getty Images)

Will the funeral directors embalm the body?

First of all, what is embalming and why do funeral directors do it? Embalming is a common worldwide funeral practice, and it's the process of preserving a body to slow down the effects of natural deterioration by using preservatives. Embalmers will remove the blood and fluids from the body and replace them with water, chemicals and coolants that help the preservation. The blood and other fluids are simply poured down the drain where it enters sewage system to be treated by the wastewater treatment system (Picture: Getty Images)

Embalming is typically done if a person is having an open casket funeral, or if the family want more time with the loved one than the cool storage solution can provide. Other reasons for embalming could be that the deceased requested it before their death, the family wants to restore the person's appearance to a more natural-like state, if the person died overseas and needs to be returned home, or if there is a delay with the funeral. The embalming process takes about two hours from start to finish, and that includes the washing and drying of the deceased's hair. Plus, embalmers massage the body to relax the muscles and joints that have been tensed by rigor mortis. Once a person has been embalmed, the effects will typically last for around a week. However, embalming isn't a requirement for cremation, nor is it a requirement at all (Picture: Getty Images)

What steps are taken before the funeral?

Whether embalmed or not, undertakers will also clean the body before dressing it. Standard underwear is put on if there is no risk of the body leaking. However, if there is a risk, the undertaker will opt for a nappy, which is usually fashioned from a plastic or cloth sheet and taped closed. In terms of what the deceased will be wearing, it's either up to the person who died if they already made a request or for the family to decide. If the person is being cremated, the clothes need to be safe to go into the cremator. Next, eye caps are put in, which help to keep the deceased's eyes closed and provide a natural look. These are small disks with spikes on the outer side that are inserted under the eyelids. Fact: because the muscles relax and eventually lose their ability to function after death, eyelids don't have the muscle tension to remain shut. In death, the also eyes sink, leaving an obvious dent which is restored by the caps (Picture: Getty Images)

When is the body coffined?

This is the point when the body is laid to rest in a coffin, ready for the funeral. The undertakers will first check the ID tag on the body and compare it against the ID tag on the coffin and the paperwork to ensure the right person is being transported. Then the body will be lifted into the coffin, either by hand or machine. The final checks include plugging the nose and mouth with cotton, which is stuffed up the nose and down the throat to avoid any excess leakage. The mouth will also be sutured closed for the same reasons, and because, like the eyes, the jaw cannot keep itself shut. Next, all paperwork will be double checked before the coffin is locked, and the body is released from the funeral directors. The coffin will then be placed into the back of the hearse and secured in place (Picture: Getty Images)

The funeral

Comfortable, at peace, and ready for the final part of the physical journey, the body will then be transported to the crematorium, where the goodbye service will take place. Note, some people prefer to avoid a service and opt for a direct cremation instead, where the body is cremated after death in a simple, plain, low-cost coffin. This can be for a slew of reasons, from money worries to the deceased and their family preferring to say their goodbyes in their own way. Either way, when the body is ready to be cremated, the crematorium staff will add a personalised metal disk with the person's name on, as it won't be destroyed during the process. Rather, it will remain with the ashes so staff always know who they belong to. Finally, the funeral parlour will store the deceased's ashes until the family are ready to collect them. Some people scatter them, some people bury them, and some keep them at home in vases on display. What you do with the ashes is completely your choice… (Picture: Getty Images) This article was originally published in April 2024