Near-death experiences are associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep intrusions in migraine patients, independent of migraine aura.
European journal of neurology October 1, 2023 Bianca Raffaelli, Pia Kull, Jasper Mecklenburg et al. 6 citations
Among 808 migraine patients at a tertiary headache center, 2.7% reported having had a near-death experience (NDE) and 5.4% reported REM sleep intrusions. The prevalence of NDEs did not differ between those with and without migraine aura (2.8% vs. 2.6%), nor did REM sleep intrusions (6.3% vs. 4.9%). However, participants with REM sleep intrusions were more likely to have had an NDE (11.4%) than those without (2.2%). Higher depression, anxiety, and stress scores were associated with REM sleep intrusions. The findings suggest that NDEs and REM sleep intrusions may share underlying mechanisms, but migraine aura status does not influence their prevalence.