Have You Noticed That Your Loved Ones Die Around Their Birthdays?

Have you noticed that your loved ones die around their birthdays?

I went to my family grave site and noticed the birthdays and death days of the relatives buried there. The majority of them died around their birthdays, so I decided to take a deep dive on this.

Is there such a thing as dying around your birthday?

According to a 2014 Washington Post article, “The average death rate on people’s birthdays is 6.7 percent higher than what you’d otherwise normally expect on that day, according to a new analysis from University of Chicago economics researcher Pablo Pena. The rate is even higher for young people and on weekends, he finds.”

Interestingly, Pena looked at Social Security Administration records for 25 million people who passed away between 1998 and 2011. “Births and deaths don’t happen evenly across the year, so Pena’s analysis controls for seasonal patterns by comparing birthday death rates to what would be expected on a given day,” the article states.

I researched a little more and found an article in Time Magazine that stated:

“A study, published in the journal Annals of Epidemiology, found that people over 60 were 14% more likely to die on their birthdays than on any other day. The most common causes of birthday deaths were heart attacks, which rose 18.6% on birthdays, and strokes, which were up 21.5%. There is also a 34.9% rise in suicide, and a remarkable 44% jump for deaths by falling down.”

Now this is a scary thought. So do we dread when our birthday comes around or do we embrace it?

I guess it’s better to appreciate the people you love in your life every day than just one select day during the month.

Love to hear your thoughts here.