The brain stays conscious for a few minutes after death, according to new research.

Bizarre on Female First

Bizarre on Female First

Researchers have discovered that brain function continues after the heart stops - meaning that you could know you're dying after you've technically died.

Scientists have found that brain function continues in the cerebrum, the part that keeps you conscious, after the heart has stopped.

Dr. Sam Parnia - director at New York University Langone Medical Centre - claims that brain cells can take days to die.

He said: ''What's fascinating is that there is a time, only after you and I die, that the cells inside our bodies start to gradually go toward their own process of death.

''The cells don't instantly switch from alive to dead. Actually, the cells are much more resilient to the heart stopping - to the person dying - than we used to understand.''