Near-death experiences are associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep intrusions in migraine patients, independent of migraine aura.
Bianca Raffaelli, Pia Kull, Jasper Mecklenburg, Kristin S Lange, Lucas H Overeem, Mira P Fitzek, Anke Siebert, Maureen Steinicke, Paul Triller, Lars Neeb, Jens P Dreier, Uwe Reuter, Daniel Kondziella
European journal of neurology October 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/ene.15991 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAmong 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.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Prospective cross-sectional cohort study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 808 |
| Population | Migraine patients at a tertiary headache center |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Rem sleep Cortical spreading depolarization Headache Migraine aura |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key finding | Prevalence of near-death experiences and REM sleep intrusions did not differ by migraine aura status, but an association between NDEs and REM sleep intrusions was identified. |
Abstract
Migraine aura, near-death experiences (NDEs), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep intrusions might share common mechanisms. Here, we investigated the prevalence of NDEs and REM sleep intrusions in people with migraine. We hypothesized that NDEs and REM sleep intrusions are more prevalent in migraine patients with aura than in those without. We conducted a prospective cross-sectional cohort study at a tertiary headache center, based on a prespecified sample size (n = 808). Migraine patients completed a series of questionnaires, including questions about demographic and headache characteristics, the 16-item Greyson NDE scale, four questions about REM sleep intrusions, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). Of 808 migraine patients (mean age 44.4 ± 13.3 years, 87.0% women), 353 (43.7%) had a current or previous history of migraine aura. Prevalence of NDE was 2.7% and not different in patients with and without aura (2.8% vs. 2.6%; p > 0.999). REM sleep intrusions were reported by 5.4% of participants and in a similar proportion of patients with and without aura (6.3% vs. 4.9%; p = 0.43). However, participants with REM sleep intrusions had had an NDE more often than participants without REM sleep intrusions (n = 5/44, 11.4% vs. n = 17/754, 2.2%; p = 0.005). Higher DASS-21 scores were associated with REM sleep intrusions (p < 0.001). In this tertiary center cohort study, the prevalence of NDE and REM sleep intrusions was not influenced by migraine aura status. However, we identified an association between NDE and REM sleep intrusions, which corroborates the notion that they might share pathophysiological mechanisms.