How long do you remain conscious for after your head has been chopped off?

Question

I know it´s a horrible question, but I think you´d have time to think about what just happened, no? About 10 seconds in my opinion, but I´m not going to try it to find out.....

Answer 1

It's hard to say. I watched the beheadings done by the terrorists. I didn't study it or anything but the head was blinking even when it had been lifted up to the camera. Nerves and not conciousness. I'd have to say. It depends on how fast it's done. If it's guillotine, i'd give conciousness about 5 secs max. The head needs the lungs to supply oxygen to the brain. Question is, do we have the same bodily functions as animals that switch off pain after a certain amount of injury? What a horrible question anyway. Why would you ask EUGHH!!? why would i answer

Answer 2

There was an experiment done during the French Revolution where a scientist made the head choped off bloke answer a question regarding pain. He had to blink 3 times for yes and 4 for no and he blinked 3 times to the question 2 times before he died.

Ace question BTW!!!

Answer 3

It was reckoned that when the head was chopped off immediately after execution and the head was shown to the crowd numerous severed heads (their faces) sneered at the crowd. So it would be at least 30 seconds of awareness.

Answer 4

I chopped my head off once, and I was able look around, blink, and think for about thirty seconds before I lost consciousness. The bad thing was that since my lungs were disconnected, I couldn't say anything. I couldn't whistle either. Fortunately a doctor came along and sewed my head back on. I'm alright now.

Answer 5

When you chop off a chickens head, the body spasms for about 3-5 Min's. but then, is a chicken ever conscious?

Answer 6

It was proved by 2 French scientist's during the revolutionary era that the brain can live for almost 2 minutes after decapitation. They asked a criminal to co-operate and he refused, when his head had been severed they ran across lifted his head and he cursed them for over a minute.

Answer 7

Only a matter of seconds its thought, obviously no one has managed to come back and let us know

However, consider the sudden lack of oxygen and trauma, the blinking and movements of face, would be down to involuntary nerve endings being severed, what a ghastly thought!!!
Quick though, not even long enough for one verse of I AIN'T GOT NO BODY - sorry could not resist that one.

Answer 8

When Anne Boylne had her head chopped off she was praying and spectators said that her lips were still moveing when it came rolling off so maybe a second or two.But they chould have been telling tales, who knows?

Answer 9

"Decapitation, Consciousness and Blood Pressure
It is logical that the mode of decapitation has an effect on consciousness. If someone is beheaded cleanly, as in the use of the guillotine in revolutionary France in the 18th Century, then this makes it easier to make a judgement on consciousness and awareness following such a fate.

The predominant school of thought suggests that if someone's head is removed swiftly and cleanly, the resulting dramatic loss of blood pressure means that you become unconscious straight away.

One of the most obvious relationships is fainting. Fainting can occur even with only a small drop in blood pressure. We may feel faint for a short time but our loss of consciousness is sudden and often dramatic. When we recover we rarely remember fainting or what occur during the period of unconsciousness.
The decapitated person essentially dies from a massive hemorrhage that stops any oxygen going to the brain. Lack of oxygen after three minutes results in catastrophic death of brain cells.

More About Time Between Consciousness and Unconsciousness in Decapitation
Historically, heads were held up following execution in the belief that someone remained conscious for about 10 seconds following execution. But where did that idea come from? During the French Revolution, the condemned were apparently seen to blink their eyes for up to 30 seconds and open their mouths following their beheading.

The story about a French chemist, Antoine Lavoisier, who lived between 1743 and 1794 has fueled this belief. He apparently told his friends he would blink for as long as he could following his beheading. He was observed to do this for many seconds. This story appears to be just a story and no real facts support it.

More interesting records come from studies carried out by Dr Jean-Joseph Sue, a German anatomist Samuel-Thomas Sommering, French anatomy professor Dr Séguret, Dr Dassy de Ligniéres, and Dr Beaurieux. During the French Revolution one of them, Dr Séguret, conducted experiments that exposed the eyes of two heads to sunlight. The eyes shut. Their exposed tongues were pricked and the tongue withdrew into the mouth. Séguret found the eyes of one victim followed the voice of whomever was talking for more than 15 minutes. Whether the doctors' findings were signs of mental activity or just involuntary spasm following muscular and nervous stimulation is unknown.

In 1905 a Dr. Beaurieux carried out an experiment with the head of a murderer called Languille who had been guillotined. He called the deceased name. The head opened its eyes and looked the way of the caller. The eyes then closed and his name was called again. Again the eyes fixed themselves on the doctor. A third attempt after about 25 to 30 seconds brought no response. The doctor reported that after decapitation: the eyelids and lips of the guillotined man worked in irregularly rhythmic contractions for about five or six seconds."

Answer 10

None. taking into consideration that the head is cut off completely in one go, and that there is enough oxygen in your brain for a few seconds, the shock of it would send you into unconsciousness which means ....none!!!!