How does one die from hanging?

Answer 1

The noose's tension around the neck blocks off the trachea --responsible for inhaling and exhaling air from the lung-- and, occasionly, it blocks the carotid artery, responsible for delivering rich oxygenated blood to the brain.

With the lungs unable to re-fresh their air, the levels of carbon dioxide rise, and the level of oxygen falls. Within seconds efficent gaseous exchange stops and red blood cells no longer pick up oxygen and dissociate carbon dioxide.

So, even if the noose's pressure doesn't block the carotid artery, the brain --along with the rest of the body-- is still being depleated of oxygenated blood. Without oxygen, aerobic cellular respiration, required to harvest energy from glucose, ceases. Cellular energy is required for a number of processes, but one of the most important is in providing the energy for membrane pumps that drive Na+ out of the cell, and K+ into the cell. As soon as this pump is innactive, Na+ builds up in the cell, and K+ becomes depleated. This creates problems for nerve impulses (or action potentials), stopping brain activity, and sending the person into a coma. But, eventually the concentration of Na+ in the cell rises so high, bringing water with it due to osmosis, that the cell's membrane can not deal with the pressure pushing outwards and the cell bursts open. People die because their cells die; in a corpse with all the cells dead, there's no denial of that, but when you loose a limb --killing skin and muscle cells-- you're not dead, so to what cells do we owe our sense of "life"?

That's an awquard philosphical question*. Many people agree, through, that the brain is the epicentre of human "life". The brain is the most sensitive organ to oxygen depletion -- it can not use anerobic respiration, since it has no glycogen stores like liver and muscle cells. The brain, then, contains the cells that die 1st. Minites later, after one last failed attempt at clinging onto life with anerobic respiraion, the remainder of your cells will die, too.

*I thought, moments later after posting that I might add this tid-bit on brain-dead people. Since de-fibrillators have been introduced it's possible to re-start peoples heart rythm after a min or so of inactivity. Of course, in that time, with no pump, the whole body has been subjected to oxygen depletion. The brain is the most sensitive organ to the drop in oxygen. Brain cells, therefore, die 1st. Even after the brain is dead, it's possible to bring back the person's heart to beating on its own (using the de-fibrillator). In brain-dead patients the majority of their brain cells are dead; but their body is not. Because the encepelon, a region of the brain responsible for controlling breathing and heart rate, is able to tolerate lower oxygen levels than the rest of the brain it survives, and the "person" is able to control their breathing and heart rate. They breath. They have a heart rythm. But they do not interact with their environment. Are they alive, or dead?

Answer 2

Usually the neck breaks and this cuts the spinal cord. You're paralyzed and you stop breathing because the spinal cord controls breathing. Also, cutting the spinal cord high causes swelling of nearby brain tissue with brain damage & quick loss of consciousness.

Answer 3

Hi. First two answers are correct, but one of the hanged Iraqi war criminals died from decapitation.

Answer 4

Usually asphyxiation. Sometimes, as in the case of Saddam Hussein, its decapitation.

Answer 5

the wind is cut off which means not enough oxygen or blood supply to the brain

Answer 6

Usually their neck snaps and then they suffocate.

Answer 7

asphyxiation or broken neck

Answer 8

well either their neck snaps or they suffocate...DUH! lol jkjk! :-)