inert gas pain: debate

[bov]

people on here talk about inert gas being painless but the UN is opposing nitrogen use in the death penalty because it would be "torture."

anaesthesiologists are informing them.

what is going on?

surely the person experiences suffering. i know the brain needs the most oxygen and therefore is the first organ to die but like... how could you convince me the part of the brain that perceives danger/pain wouldnt be the last part to go?

 

[outrider567]

people on here talk about inert gas being painless but the UN is opposing nitrogen use in the death penalty because it would be "torture."

anaesthesiologists are informing them.

what is going on?

surely the person experiences suffering. i know the brain needs the most oxygen and therefore is the first organ to die but like... how could you convince me the part of the brain that perceives danger/pain wouldnt be the last part to go?

There is no debate, there is no pain with Nitrogen, once again, if you want to be educated about this, read Greenberg's and Vizzy's posts on nitrogen, otherwise, you're talking out of your ass

 

[Glandular]

anaesthesiologists are informing them.

They are biased because they are against the death penalty in general.

We can't be certain how painful a death by inert gas will be. However, we have enough evidence like books (PPH), scientific studies, Sarco pod, videos of people and/or animals passing out with inert gas without realising it and so on.
If you use a proper setup (SCUBA / SCBA / bag) you will pass out in just a few breaths. The body is of course not dead at that point and there might be movement, gasping for air ... but you won't notice because your not conscious.

 

[Antoine_Roquentin]

people on here talk about inert gas being painless but the UN is opposing nitrogen use in the death penalty because it would be "torture."

anaesthesiologists are informing them.

what is going on?

surely the person experiences suffering. i know the brain needs the most oxygen and therefore is the first organ to die but like... how could you convince me the part of the brain that perceives danger/pain wouldnt be the last part to go?

I'm copying my post from the megathread:

I think all of the ctb methods come with a degree of violence. Killing a human being simply isn't easy. This is a fact all of us that want to cbt have to come to terms with. This too is true for nitrogen. Passing out from nitrogen is accompanied "on most occasions by a generalized convulsion" [1], you don't just fall asleep.

The question if there is an amount of pain is hard to answer because nobody who ctb'd can talk about what they experienced in the moments until their death. Obviously you can't just do experiments on humans. As far as I know there are just two papers where the process of ctb'ing with inert gas - in both cases helium - was scienfically obversed, the researcher in both cases was Ogden. In one paper he watched videos that were taken by the Swiss organisation Dignitas using oxygen masks, in the other paper he was present when two elderly women used the exit bag. In both papers the observations are described, I'll attach them so you can read for yourself. It is not for the faint of the heart. One paper also contains pictures of the deceased. Concerning pain, Ogden writes:

"While there was no evidence that the decedents experienced any pain, it was disturbing to witness preterminal gasping in both cases. In adults, gasping is witnessed in 30% to 40% of cardiac arrests. These 2 case reports are insufficient to determine any variability in human response to helium induced hypoxemia, but it is interesting that one decedent experienced no tremors or gross reflex, while the other one did. In an experiment using nitrogen for the euthanasia of dogs it was observed that while death in the canines occurred rapidly and humanely, there was also considerable variation in incidences of convulsion, gasping, and muscular tremor. The underlying reasons for these variations should be explored"

 

[ThymeToLeave]

Why ask again now, bov?

Inert Gas Method and Pain?

I know whole airplanes full of people have lost oxygen and reported no pain or discomfort afterwards, but they hadn’t made it to the stage where the organs start shutting down. My understanding is that above all, the body protects the central nervous system. That would be the last thing to go...

sanctioned-suicide.net

 

[bov]

Why ask again now, bov?

Inert Gas Method and Pain?

I know whole airplanes full of people have lost oxygen and reported no pain or discomfort afterwards, but they hadn’t made it to the stage where the organs start shutting down. My understanding is that above all, the body protects the central nervous system. That would be the last thing to go...

sanctioned-suicide.net

neurotic need for fresh opinions, now that i cant DM with Greenberg anymore. sorry to be such a nuisance

 

[Antoine_Roquentin]

There is no debate, there is no pain with Nitrogen, once again, if you want to be educated about this, read Greenberg's and Vizzy's posts on nitrogen, otherwise, you're talking out of your ass

As much as I appreciate both posters, I wouldn't necessarily bank on their opinion concerning the painlessness of the inert gas method. They aren't scientists, they simply don't know. Afaik they never backed up their claims with evidence. None of us knows if there is pain, there is just (some) evidence that there might not be.

They are biased because they are against the death penalty in general.

We can't be certain how painful a death by inert gas will be. However, we have enough evidence like books (PPH), scientific studies, Sarco pod, videos of people and/or animals passing out with inert gas without realising it and so on.
If you use a proper setup (SCUBA / SCBA / bag) you will pass out in just a few breaths. The body is of course not dead at that point and there might be movement, gasping for air ... but you won't notice because your not conscious.

True, but a lot of people here are biased because they are in favor of rationally (peacefully) ctb'ing. I especially get that impression of a lot of posters whose method is SN. I prefer to err on the side of caution, I simply don't know what happens inside an unconscious dying mind.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I'm no expert on this. I guess the science of it makes sense to me though. I'm sure more knowledgable people will correct me if I'm wrong here. From what I understand, it's the build up of CO2 in the atmosphere and body I guess that makes our bodies realise they are being suffocated- and panic sets in. So- for methods that remove the CO2 like the proper Scuba equipment and the Sarco pod I imagine- the body keeps getting rid of the CO2 but in theory doesn't realise it's inhaling a different gas to oxygen. That's how I understand it anyway.

I don't think they'd put all that money into developing the Sarco pod- which I'm assuming is a pimped up version of the inert gas method and marketing it as being peaceful if it wasn't. Still, how do any of us really know?

 

[bov]

I'm no expert on this. I guess the science of it makes sense to me though. I'm sure more knowledgable people will correct me if I'm wrong here. From what I understand, it's the build up of CO2 in the atmosphere and body I guess that makes our bodies realise they are being suffocated- and panic sets in. So- for methods that remove the CO2 like the proper Scuba equipment and the Sarco pod I imagine- the body keeps getting rid of the CO2 but in theory doesn't realise it's inhaling a different gas to oxygen. That's how I understand it anyway.

I don't think they'd put all that money into developing the Sarco pod- which I'm assuming is a pimped up version of the inert gas method and marketing it as being peaceful if it wasn't. Still, how do any of us really know?

i mean that could be real but it could also be a very appealing and understandable scam

 

[Forever Sleep]

i mean that could be real but it could also be a very appealing and understandable scam

Maybe but you know the guy behind it- Dr Philip Nitschke is the guy that wrote 'The Peaceful Pill Handbook'. So- I imagine he's done a fair bit of research...

 

[bov]

PPH could be a scam! What's a more appealing concept than a painless death?

 

[Antoine_Roquentin]

I'm no expert on this. I guess the science of it makes sense to me though. I'm sure more knowledgable people will correct me if I'm wrong here. From what I understand, it's the build up of CO2 in the atmosphere and body I guess that makes our bodies realise they are being suffocated- and panic sets in. So- for methods that remove the CO2 like the proper Scuba equipment and the Sarco pod I imagine- the body keeps getting rid of the CO2 but in theory doesn't realise it's inhaling a different gas to oxygen. That's how I understand it anyway.

I don't think they'd put all that money into developing the Sarco pod- which I'm assuming is a pimped up version of the inert gas method and marketing it as being peaceful if it wasn't. Still, how do any of us really know?

i mean that could be real but it could also be a very appealing and understandable scam

I personallly think that the Sarco is just a publicity stunt to advertise Nitschke's enterprise. It am sure that it'll likely never be used.

Maybe but you know the guy behind it- Dr Philip Nitschke is the guy that wrote 'The Peaceful Pill Handbook'. So- I imagine he's done a fair bit of research...

I personally grew a bit wary of Nitschke, he paints the different ctb methods in a way to positive light. One should take it with a grain of salt. There is also a thread that is critical of Nitschke, its an interesting read - you can find it here.

 

[Old Friend]

people on here talk about inert gas being painless but the UN is opposing nitrogen use in the death penalty because it would be torture.

The UN's opposed to the death penalty in principle so it will say whatever in support of that viewpoint.

It's been documented well enough, including by people who survived industrial accidents where they remember nothing but being standing in one instant and coming back round on the floor the next.

Nitrogen is about ~78% of the atmosphere so it's most of what you're breathing all the time anyway.

 

[Forever Sleep]

PPH could be a scam! What's a more appealing concept than a painless death?

Yeah- sure and the biggest problem with homemade attempts is- we don't always know for sure we have the best purity chemical or right equipment.

Really at the end of the day- we all have the option. If things are that bad, suicide is a risky option out. The alternative is to hang around and wait for natural death because- that's always painless- right? Sorry to sound sarcastic but sadly, it's like we're all stuck between a rock and a hard place. Honestly- would you even believe someone who guaranteed you a peaceful death? I'm guessing- not.

So yeah- it's all going to be a risk. I think it would be foolish to think any method was 100% painless, quick and reliable. Sometimes out of desperation, I guess we go with what we decide to be is our best option.

 

[Antoine_Roquentin]

The UN's opposed to the death penalty in principle so it will say whatever in support of that viewpoint.

It's been documented well enough, including by people who survived industrial accidents where they remember nothing but being standing in one instant and coming back round on the floor the next.

Nitrogen is about ~78% of the atmosphere so it's most of what you're breathing all the time anyway.

True, but it could be said analogous about Nitschke that he is convinced of the concept of a peaceful death so he will say whatever in support of that viewpoint.

Passing out and remembering nothing =/= passing out and dying for 5-15 minutes.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I personallly think that the Sarco is just a publicity stunt to advertise Nitschke's enterprise. It am sure that it'll likely never be used.


I personally grew a bit wary of Nitschke, he paints the different ctb methods in a way to positive light. One should take it with a grain of salt. There is also a thread that is critical of Nitschke, its an interesting read - you can find it here.

Fair enough. I think I read threads where people criticised him. That said- I've read news reports where people have died from ingesting SN. Did they suffer? Maybe. All of my family members that died of cancer suffered! Some of them suffered for years/ decades even. I suffered when I had gallstones. Of course, it would be lovely to just die peacefully but- how realistic to you think that is for anyone? Regardless of whether they die of suicide or natural causes? Of course, if you have the miracle solution- we'd all love to know!

I'm just not so sure there is one. Not that we can get our hands on anyway- legally at least. Maybe the clinics but- they often won't take you until your suffering has reached peak level already and been witnessed by multiple doctors! It almost defeats the object if you want to suicide to avoid suffering like that!

Besides all that- I'd be more worried about surviving an attempt with debhilitating consequences. Would you prefer to suffer for an hour and die or, suffer for an hour and spend the rest of your life incapacitated but conscious? That's the real worry for most of us I expect. Once I'd thought further than how painful the process might be, the really terrifying thought was- what if it doesn't work after all that! For f*cks sake!

 

[Old Friend]

True, but it could be said analogous about Nitschke that he is convinced of the concept of a peaceful death so he will say whatever in support of that viewpoint.

Passing out and remembering nothing =/= passing out and dying for 5-15 minutes.

I don't see how it equates. There's a far bigger body of evidence that nitrogen asphyxiation is a peaceful death than merely Nitschke's viewpoint on the matter.

If nitrogen can't be described as peaceful, nothing can and the term becomes redundant.

 

[Glandular]

Really at the end of the day- we all have the option. If things are that bad, suicide is a risky option out. The alternative is to hang around and wait for natural death because- that's always painless- right? Sorry to sound sarcastic but sadly, it's like we're all stuck between a rock and a hard place. Honestly- would you even believe someone who guaranteed you a peaceful death? I'm guessing- not.

I think it boils down to this. Will there be agony and pain? We don't know and we can never truly know (especially since people will have different experiences). In case of N2 we have a lot of educated guesses that the process seems peaceful. Suicide is never an easy option and it is per definition a violent process. We can only decide what is worse - possible agony for 5 - 10 minutes or (in my case) pain and agony for years until my physical sickness will torture me to death. I'm taking that risk but only because the alternative is so much worse.

 

[ThymeToLeave]

In one thread by a German man on this forum, he talks about his experience taking 2g of SN. During this ordeal he passed out multiple times and while at the hospital he had multiple cardiac events. Someone who was conscious would surely have been in the typical amount of heart attack pain (elephant sitting on your chest) but this man said all this information about the multiple heart attacks was relayed to him by hospital staff after he was treated for SN poisoning. He had no memory of experiencing any pain and said the whole thing was peaceful from his perspective.

He was unconscious due to lack of oxygen, similar to inert gas asphyxiation. He had multiple heart attacks with no memory of any subjective experience of pain. I think this is a point in favor of the painlessness of any method that knocks you out. It seems like the part of the mind that experiences sensations of pain can be shut off when we're unconscious.

 

[Orange Cat]

There's no pain involved inert gas. You would keep breathing normally as usual. Your brain won't be aware that you arent getting enough of oxogen until it is too late. Inert gases don't cause a feeling of suffocation.

There are cases of people in industrial settings who were unaware that nitrogen was leaking into the room and passed out, and they were rescued.When they were revived, they said that they didn't know what hit them. They were working one minute and felt fine, and the next thing they knew they were laying outside. They didn't experience any pain or distress. There was no warning.

PPH could be a scam! What's a more appealing concept than a painless death?

The right to die organizations have put a lot of research over the years to find humane methods for people to end their own life. Inert gas is their preferred choice. It's reliable, quick, and painless. The average time for someone to go unconscious is 30 seconds.

For arguments sake, let's say there was some pain involved. So what? You're dying. Your body is shutting down. It's not realistic in most cases to think that your death is going to be entirely peaceful and pain free. What is 30 seconds of pain? How much pain could you really experience in 30 seconds? Most deaths by other means would be far worse.

 

[Antoine_Roquentin]

I don't see how it equates. There's a far bigger body of evidence that nitrogen asphyxiation is a peaceful death than merely Nitschke's viewpoint on the matter.

If nitrogen can't be described as peaceful, nothing can and the term becomes redundant.

I do believe that inert gases are one of the more peaceful methods, but I couldn't find that body of evidence as of yet. I just found the two scientific articles I posted above. Could you maybe provide some links? Trust me, since it's my method of choice, I want nothing more for it than to be peaceful.

Fair enough. I think I read threads where people criticised him. That said- I've read news reports where people have died from ingesting SN. Did they suffer? Maybe. All of my family members that died of cancer suffered! Some of them suffered for years/ decades even. I suffered when I had gallstones. Of course, it would be lovely to just die peacefully but- how realistic to you think that is for anyone? Regardless of whether they die of suicide or natural causes? Of course, if you have the miracle solution- we'd all love to know!

I'm just not so sure there is one. Not that we can get our hands on anyway- legally at least. Maybe the clinics but- they often won't take you until your suffering has reached peak level already and been witnessed by multiple doctors! It almost defeats the object if you want to suicide to avoid suffering like that!

Besides all that- I'd be more worried about surviving an attempt with debhilitating consequences. Would you prefer to suffer for an hour and die or, suffer for an hour and spend the rest of your life incapacitated but conscious? That's the real worry for most of us I expect. Once I'd thought further than how painful the process might be, the really terrifying thought was- what if it doesn't work after all that! For f*cks sake!

Fair points. I agree. Unfortunately there doesn't seems to be a totally peaceful way out of this world. I read some articles (of organisations against assisted suicide) and they all had examples were deaths with supposedly peaceful drug cocktails went wrong, so not even the 'holy' N guanrantees a peaceful death.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I think it boils down to this. Will there be agony and pain? We don't know and we can never truly know (especially since people will have different experiences). In case of N2 we have a lot of educated guesses that the process seems peaceful. Suicide is never an easy option and it is per definition a violent process. We can only decide what is worse - possible agony for 5 - 10 minutes or (in my case) pain and agony for years until my physical sickness will torture me to death. I'm taking that risk but only because the alternative is so much worse.

Yeah, I completely agree. It's like- I understand why people want a peaceful death- of course. Especially if their life has been full of pain and suffering- you'd think they would deserve that at least! I also understand why people are so desperate for reassurance that their chosen method will work and it won't be horrendously painful.

But... we can't provide them with that! All we can do is point them towards to research but ultimately, it's a risk. What health matter isn't a risk in life though? When you go in for even a minor op, you have to go through pages and pages of what possibly could go horrendously wrong and these are medical professionals!

We're winging it with a whole bunch of unknowns. Nothing is absolutely certain. That's why I think we have to be sure it's our prefered option (suicide I mean) and that we have at least researched our method, prepared for it and, know what to expect.

 

[Kasumi]

I'm no expert on this. I guess the science of it makes sense to me though. I'm sure more knowledgable people will correct me if I'm wrong here. From what I understand, it's the build up of CO2 in the atmosphere and body I guess that makes our bodies realise they are being suffocated- and panic sets in. So- for methods that remove the CO2 like the proper Scuba equipment and the Sarco pod I imagine- the body keeps getting rid of the CO2 but in theory doesn't realise it's inhaling a different gas to oxygen. That's how I understand it anyway.

I don't think they'd put all that money into developing the Sarco pod- which I'm assuming is a pimped up version of the inert gas method and marketing it as being peaceful if it wasn't. Still, how do any of us really know?

That's largely correct I think. You don't even have to believe a person like that guy making money with the PPH.
There is enough information there detailing that topic, from pro divers, biologists, etc.

Your body reacts to elevated blood acidity levels caused by the CO2 in your blood.
As long as your body has a way to exhale CO2 you won't realise a thing.
Another important part is that while your brain runs out of oxygen, while you still are conscious, it's so severely affected by the lack of oxygen that you might not even realise that you're asphyxiating.
And then you're unconscious and night night.

Here's a good video about a pro-diver also going into detail about what your body does.

 

[Disappointered]

There are ways to mitigate physical pain for ending a human life but it doesn't have much research behind it for obvious reasons. Seems like adding opiates would help, in most cases. This is not the kind of message that will be propagated very easily right now since the dry cleaners who took over all media had to pretend they cared about a supposed opioid addiction epidemic in order to appear neutral before pushing covidism. I know for a fact it was an option in canada a couple of years ago. If that has been changed it will have been for political reasons.

 

[Old Friend]

I do believe that inert gases are one of the more peaceful methods, but I couldn't find that body of evidence as of yet. I just found the two scientific articles I posted above. Could you maybe provide some links? Trust me, since it's my method of choice, I want nothing more for it than to be peaceful.



Fair points. I agree. Unfortunately there doesn't seems to be a totally peaceful way out of this world. I read some articles (of organisations against assisted suicide) and they all had examples were deaths with supposedly peaceful drug cocktails went wrong, so not even the 'holy' N guanrantees a peaceful death.

A quick search brings up this...

Process Safety Beacon: Recent Nitrogen Fatalities Are a Vivid Reminder

Plant personnel need to use extreme caution when working in or around operations that use nitrogen.

www.aiche.org

The main point is this...

"Nitrogen is often called "the silent killer" because it is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. People in a nitrogen-enriched environment lose consciousness from lack of oxygen before realizing they are in danger. Low oxygen levels can only be detected with proper instrumentation."

One should not confuse asphyxiation with suffocation. The latter is being deprived of oxygen causing a build-up of CO2 which is what causes the panic & discomfort, NOT the lack of oxygen itself. The body doesn't respond to inert gas and so it doesn't realise it's being deprived of oxygen. Out go the lights before you realise what's happening.

Besides, you're not going to find a more peaceful method. Carbon Monoxide runs it close. SN is better than most, which is a key reason why it's popular here but still clearly behind those two methods.

The only other alternatives are violent but quick methods, such as shooting yourself in the head or jumping (ignoring the terror during the descent).

Your main concern with inert case should be to ensure your set up is good and proper. It's quite a bit of time and money to get it all together and I wouldn't want the bag or face mask somehow come off halfway through so I survive but with permanent damage. Done properly, I sincerely doubt there's a more peaceful way to intentionally go out.

 

[thewalkingdread]

They are biased because they are against the death penalty in general.

Exactly this!

They are just making a huge frisson about it because they want to stop death penalty in any way they can.

I would pay top dollar to be "inhumanely executed" with Nitrogen.

 

[Antoine_Roquentin]

Yeah, I completely agree. It's like- I understand why people want a peaceful death- of course. Especially if their life has been full of pain and suffering- you'd think they would deserve that at least! I also understand why people are so desperate for reassurance that their chosen method will work and it won't be horrendously painful.

But... we can't provide them with that! All we can do is point them towards to research but ultimately, it's a risk. What health matter isn't a risk in life though? When you go in for even a minor op, you have to go through pages and pages of what possibly could go horrendously wrong and these are medical professionals!

We're winging it with a whole bunch of unknowns. Nothing is absolutely certain. That's why I think we have to be sure it's our prefered option (suicide I mean) and that we have at least researched our method, prepared for it and, know what to expect.

You totally pinpointed what I am thinking and failed to explicate. I think exactly this is the reason why people always start threads with the same questions like "is SN really peaceful" or something like that because they wish for a swift death and want reassurance, whereas the reality is that most deaths, natural and unnatural ones, are violent. The thing is this case you ultimately never know whats inside the box so to speak before you open it.

"Nitrogen is often called "the silent killer" because it is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. People in a nitrogen-enriched environment lose consciousness from lack of oxygen before realizing they are in danger. Low oxygen levels can only be detected with proper instrumentation."

One should not confuse asphyxiation with suffocation. The latter is being deprived of oxygen causing a build-up of CO2 which is what causes the panic & discomfort, NOT the lack of oxygen itself. The body doesn't respond to inert gas and so it doesn't realise it's being deprived of oxygen. Out go the lights before you realise what's happening.

Besides, you're not going to find a more peaceful method. Carbon Monoxide runs it close. SN is better than most, which is a key reason why it's popular here but still clearly behind those two methods.

The only other alternatives are violent but quick methods, such as shooting yourself in the head or jumping (ignoring the terror during the descent).

Your main concern with inert case should be to ensure your set up is good and proper. It's quite a bit of time and money to get it all together and I wouldn't want the bag or face mask somehow come off halfway through so I survive but with permanent damage. Done properly, I sincerely doubt there's a more peaceful way to intentionally go out.

I am with you and it's my position at this point of research. And yes, of course, the initial process of breathing N2 is peaceful because there is no hypercapnic reflex induced by CO2. I'm more concerned of what happens when I am unconscious. Will I really don't experience anything? Or will I experience my brain shutting down, my heart stopping and so on while I am not able to move? A lot of inert deaths come with pulmonary edema for instance which is pretty bad. But in theory, your higher brain functions should have ceased before the heart stopped.

Exactly this!

They are just making a huge frisson about it because they want to stop death penalty in any way they can.

I would pay top dollar to be "inhumanely executed" with Nitrogen.

Of course they have an agenda, but the same goes for the right to die scene that downplays the drawbacks of the methods and often claim it's just like falling asleep while the reality is different. Here are some collected cases where euthanasia with drugs didn't go as planned. Yes, it's a pro life site, but that doesn't change the facts of the collected cases:

11. Not a rapid or peaceful death

www.australiancarealliance.org.au

So not even N and similar drugs guarantee a peaceful death. And you also have to keep in mind that most of the subjects were probably old and terminally ill, so it migth even be worse for younger persons.

 

[casual_existence]

In general depressed, hopeless people have negative thoughts about pretty much everything. You can have your doubts but everything points to this being one of the most peaceful deaths out there.

 

[Kasumi]

I'm with you and it's my position at this point of research. And yes, of course, the initial process of breathing N2 is peaceful because there is no hypercapnic reflex induced by CO2. I'm more concerned of what happens when I am unconscious. Will I really don't experience anything? Or will I experience my brain shutting down, my heart stopping and so on while I am not able to move? A lot of inert deaths come with pulmonary edema for instance which is pretty bad. But in theory, your higher brain functions should have ceased before the heart stopped.

Being unconscious generally means you'll be unable to feel anything, ultimately we cannot ask those who went unconscious if they experienced any pain since they don't remember anything.
But consider people that throw up while being unconscious and then suffocate from that.
If they would in any way be able to realise they were suffocating they would wake up or at least unconsciously move / cramp to clear up the airways.
Which I'm sure is pretty much exactly what happens when you're just asleep or lightly sedated, but if you're deeply unconscious like due to strong sedatives or severe lack of oxygen then no you won't react anymore which suggests that your body doesn't even notice.

 

[bov]

dont you think it's possible they notice but they cant act becaise they're too impaired?

bodies poisoned by inert gas have been known to thrash around

Being unconscious generally means you'll be unable to feel anything, ultimately we cannot ask those who went unconscious if they experienced any pain since they don't remember anything.
But consider people that throw up while being unconscious and then suffocate from that.
If they would in any way be able to realise they were suffocating they would wake up or at least unconsciously move / cramp to clear up the airways.
Which I'm sure is pretty much exactly what happens when you're just asleep or lightly sedated, but if you're deeply unconscious like due to strong sedatives or severe lack of oxygen then no you won't react anymore which suggests that your body doesn't even notice.