Apart from having trouble sleeping, those who are nearing death might feel an uncomfortable churning sensation in their stomach, restlessness, irritability, fatigue, a loss of focus and concentration, and muscle tension and pain, along with anxious emotions.
Sweating, agitation, heart palpitations, digestive issues like diarrhea, constipation, and nausea, withdrawing from loved ones, uncontrollable crying or yelling, and muscle twitching and trembling can also accompany anxiety as warning signs.
In fact, in hospice care circles, there’s another term that’s used to describe this kind of agitation that accompanies a person’s end of life: terminal restlessness. This more clinical definition of anxiety includes signs like the appearance of sudden behaviors that weren’t present before, agitated pulling of their own clothes, bedsheets, and even skin, discussing family members who’ve gone before them, and unfounded accusations of loved ones. Other symptoms of terminal restlessness include cognitive concerns like limited short-term memory, lack of awareness of their surroundings, disorientation, delusions, and slowed down or fast-paced bodily movements. For the loved ones who are caring for the person who’s dying, this can be a very challenging time. Not only are they dealing with the gradual loss of someone close to them, but they’re also witnessing their loved one in obvious mental distress.
