"How to cheat death" sounds like the title of an adventure movie. In real life, nobody cheats death forever. But people beat the odds every single day: they survive heart attacks, car crashes and cancers that would have killed them a few generations ago. This guide looks at the real ways people cheat death, the long-shot ideas some people bet on, and the myths you can skip.
People really do come back from "death"
Cardiac arrest and CPR
When the heart stops, a person is clinically dead within moments. Not long ago that was simply the end. Today, prompt CPR and a defibrillator can restart the heart, and many people go on to live full lives. Learning CPR is one of the most practical ways to help someone else cheat death. The American Heart Association and the Red Cross both offer classes.
Cold-water survivals
There are documented cases of people, often children, who fell into icy water, had no heartbeat for a long time, and recovered with careful rewarming. Cold slows the body's need for oxygen and the damage that follows. It's one reason doctors sometimes say "nobody is dead until they're warm and dead."
Modern medicine
Antibiotics, vaccines, clot-busting drugs, organ transplants and cancer treatments turn once-fatal conditions into survivable ones. In a real sense, modern medicine is humanity's biggest act of cheating death. Our guide will science ever bring people back after death? explains how the line between life and death keeps moving.
Everyday ways to cheat death
The least glamorous tips save the most lives:
- Wear a seatbelt and never drive impaired or distracted.
- Don't smoke, and get help quitting if you do.
- Know the signs of a heart attack and stroke, and call 911 right away. Minutes matter.
- Get recommended cancer screenings, which can catch problems early.
- Keep working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at home.
- Stay up to date on vaccines.
- Prevent falls as you get older: good lighting, grab bars, strength and balance exercise.
- Store medicines, guns and chemicals safely.
- Learn to swim, and never swim alone in open water.
None of these will make headlines, but together they prevent huge numbers of early deaths.
Long-term ways people try to cheat death
Slowing aging
Research into slowing aging is real but early. Some drugs extend life in mice; nothing is proven in people. See longevity science for what's solid and what's hype.
Cryonics
Some people arrange to be preserved at very low temperatures after legal death, hoping future medicine can revive them. No one has ever been revived, it costs a lot, and many scientists are skeptical. For a small number of people, it's a deliberate long-shot bet. Read how cryonics works before considering it.
Living on through your legacy
Many people feel the truest way to cheat death is to leave something behind: children, good work, stories, kindness. It's not a loophole in biology, but it's one that has worked for all of human history.
Myths that won't help you cheat death
- Miracle supplements. No pill has been shown to stop aging or add decades of life.
- "Biohacks" sold online. Most are unproven, some are risky.
- Young blood transfusions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers against paying for plasma infusions from young donors as anti-aging treatments, citing no proven benefit and possible risks.
- Extreme diets. Severe restriction without medical guidance can do more harm than good.
The one thing nobody can do for you
Even with the best habits and luck, every life ends. What you can control is whether the people you love know your wishes when it does. That includes the usual things, like a will and a health care directive, and for some people a more unusual question: if science ever could bring people back, would you want that chance?
Some people say yes, some say no, and many say "it depends." Our guide would you want to be brought back after death? helps you think it through. When you have an answer, the Revival Registry is a private place to write it down, including any conditions you'd want honored.