Prevalence of near-death experiences and REM sleep intrusion in 1034 adults from 35 countries

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Near-death experiences have fascinated humans for centuries, but their origin and prevalence remain unknown. Methods Using an online crowdsourcing platform, we recruited 1034 lay people from 35 countries to investigate the prevalence of near-death experiences and self-reported REM sleep intrusion. Reports were validated using the Greyson Near-Death Experiences Scale (GNDES) with a score of ≥7 as cut-off point for identifying near-death experiences. Results Near-death experiences were reported by 106 of 1034 participants (10%; CI 95% 8.5-12%). REM sleep intrusion was more common in people with near-death experiences (n=50/106; 47%) than in people with experiences with 6 points or less on the GNDES (n=47/183; 26%) or in those without any such experience (n=107/744; 14%; p=<0.0001). Following multivariate regression analysis to adjust for age, gender, place of origin, employment status and perceived danger, this association remained highly significant; people with REM sleep intrusion were more likely to exhibit near-death experiences than those without REM sleep abnormalities (odds ratio 2.85; CI 95% 1.68-4.88; p=0.0001). Conclusions The prevalence of near-death experiences in the public is around 10%. While age, gender, place of residence, employment status and perceived threat do not seem to influence the prevalence of near-death experiences, there is a significant association with REM sleep intrusion. This finding is in line with the view that despite imminent threat to life, brain physiology must be well-preserved to perceive these fascinating experiences and store them as long-term memories.