Niamh Shackleton
A hospice nurse has revealed the three things that stop people from living longer, and therefore she doesn't do them.
Julie McFadden, best known as Hospice Nurse Julie on social media, has thousands of followers across the her pages where she discusses the process of dying.
Undeniably, people have a morbid fascination with dying and Julie has lots of experience in helping people pass away as peacefully as possible.
With her job in mind, Julie has shared her experiences with her followers online and has previously revealed the most surprising things she's learnt about death.
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One thing is that unconscious loved ones can still hear us, so Julie said that people should 'talk to your loved one like they're there, like they can respond back, even if they cannot'.
Also, according to Julie, being dehydrated can make for a more peaceful passing.
"Dehydration at the end of life will help you die more peacefully, a dying body cannot handle the hydration that a living body can," the hospice nurse said.
"They'll become fluid overloaded, the heart can't pump the fluid like it should, it won't stay intravascular in the person's veins and arteries, it will cause swelling and respiratory distress."
Now, in a newer video, the hospice nurse shared three lifestyle habits she knows can shorten a person's lifespan.
Of course, a tipple once in a blue moon isn't going to drastically decrease your lifespan, but nurse Julie says that those who drink alcohol on a daily basis are at risk of seriously damaging their liver and possibly dying earlier as a result.
"Our liver is a beautiful organ that does a lot of stuff for us and when it's not working, it's bad," she warned.
"I've seen enough people die alcoholic deaths, meaning from liver cirrhosis, because of drinking, to know that it is not good. And it is preventable."
Nurse Julie insists that she'd never smoke or vape and, while less people are smoking that previous years, a worrying amount of people are vaping instead.
Once advertised as being 'less harmful' than smoking, vaping can also cause serious damage to your lungs.
But it's not just your lungs, says Julie, but other parts of your body too.
"Vaping is just as bad [as smoking]," she said, adding: "It affects more than just the lungs. It affects your whole cardiovascular system."
Julie continued to warn: "Even if you don't get emphysema or COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] or some kind of lung cancer or lung disorder, you will have cardiac issues. You will have thinning of the lining of your arteries and veins. You'll have circulation issues."
She added that watching people die from those kind of diseases 'isn't pretty'.
While it's not many people's chosen mode of transportation, more people than you'd think ride motorcycles in the US.
In 2002, just 4.3 million were registered and this figure has since skyrocketed to 8.8 million as of 2023, said the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. You won't find Julie on one, however.
"I would not ride an ATV, AKA four-wheeler, or a motorcycle. Helmet or no helmet. No bueno," she insisted.
Noting how she used to be a trauma ICU nurse, Julie explained that 'you'd be surprised just how prevalent accidents are with these vehicles'.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].