People Do Die Peacefully In Their Sleep

In healthcare we see people die all the time. It is a part of our job. And usually we see that people struggle at the end. They are short of breath. They are in pain. They struggle until their heart stops. And then they are at peace. 

One day I had a patient who knew he was going to die. His heart was giving out and he decided he didn't want any invasive procedures done. He was happy and at peace with dying. He told me he believed in God and knew was going to a happier place. He said he loved life, but was at peace with death.

And we went on to have a great philosophical discussion. And when we were done talking, he said, "Tonight might be the night I die. The next time I see you may be in Heaven." 

Several hours later the patient's nurse and I reflected on our conversations with this guy. We talked about how nice he was and how accepting of death he was. And we decided that this was how we wanted to go out: with grace and dignity. 

And then we watched the heart monitor and observed how his heart had started to go into various arrhythmias. And we both got up to look at the patient. He was sleeping on his back with what appeared to be a smile on his face. And we went back to the monitor and saw that his heart went into flatline. And we decided he was smiling because he was meeting Jesus.

And we both decided this was good therapy for us. So many people say that their loved ones died in their sleep. Yet we only saw people die by other means that were not so peaceful. And yet, here we were watching this man die with a smile on his face. It was good therapy for us. And we realized that, yes indeed, people do die peacefully in their sleep.