Near-Death Experiences and Sleep Disturbance: An Exploratory Study Using Wrist Actigraphy.
The Journal of nervous and mental disease – November 01, 2023
Source: PubMed
Summary
Individuals who have experienced near-death experiences (NDEs) may perceive their sleep differently than they actually sleep. In a study involving 57 participants, those with NDEs reported significant discrepancies in sleep onset latency, duration, and efficiency compared to objective measurements. Specifically, the NDE group (n = 26) exhibited notable differences from both those who faced near-death events without NDEs (n = 12) and those who had never encountered life-threatening situations (n = 19). These findings highlight the phenomenon of sleep state misperception and its potential clinical implications.
Abstract
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are nonordinary states of consciousness typically occurring on the brink of death. Sleep changes after NDEs have been described, including shorter sleep duration, longer sleep latency, and more sleep disturbances; however, objective verification is lacking. In this exploratory research, 57 participants took part in a 14-day actigraphy study and were assigned to three groups: those who have had an NDE ( n = 26); those who experienced a near-death event but without NDE ( n = 12); and those who had never come close to death ( n = 19). No significant differences were found between groups for actigraphy data. Paired samples t tests indicated significant differences between subjective and objective measures of sleep onset latency, sleep duration, and sleep efficiency, notably among the NDE group. Findings are indicative of the phenomenon known as sleep state misperception (SSM), which may have clinical implications for the study of NDEs and SSM.