Prevalence of near-death experiences and REM sleep intrusion in 1034 adults from 35 countries
bioRxiv Preprint Server January 28, 2019 Daniel Kondziella, Markus Harboe Olsen 2 citations preprint
About 10% of people report having had a near-death experience, according to a survey of 1,034 adults from 35 countries. Those who also experience REM sleep intrusion—when dream-like mental activity intrudes into waking life—are nearly three times more likely to report a near-death experience. The association held even after adjusting for age, gender, location, employment, and perceived threat. The authors suggest that brain physiology must be well preserved for such experiences to occur and be remembered, even when life is in danger.