Night, of course, lends itself to paranormal activity, with less light and noise to limit the imagination.
While the relationship is still unclear, new research shows an interesting connection between them Paranormal Beliefs and one of the most important nocturnal occupations for us earth beings: sleep.
In a new study, researchers found subjective measures of Poorer sleep quality has been linked to greater belief in spirits and demons allowing the soul to live on after death, a human ability communicate with the deadNear-death experiences as evidence of life after death and aliens visiting Earth.
This reduced sleep quality included lower sleep efficiency, longer sleep latency, shorter sleep duration, and increased insomnia symptoms, report the authors of the study.
In addition to self-reported measurements of sleep quality, the researchers found that the belief that aliens have visited Earth is associated with isolated sleep paralysis Exploding Head Syndromea disorder characterized by the sensation of a loud noise or a cracking sound in a person’s skull.
Isolated sleep paralysis – in which a person is conscious and alert but unable to move without other symptoms of a sleep disorder such as narcolepsy – has also been linked to the belief near-death experiences are evidence of life after death, the study found.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is a novel finding worthy of further investigation,” the researchers said to write.
These findings are generally consistent with previous studies, they note, which have also found links between paranormal beliefs and sleep variables in particular sleep paralysis. The new study aims to shed more light by examining a broader range of sleep variables with a larger sample.
Researchers conducted the study via an online survey, with recruitment published via social media and BBC Science Focus Magazine. In the end, they had 8,853 participants, all at least 18 years old, who answered questions about several paranormal topics and sleep variables.
“For all associations, it was found that higher levels of paranormal beliefs were associated with poorer subjective sleep quality, even when controlling for effects for age and gender,” the study authors said report.
While the new study may help improve our understanding of the connection between paranormal beliefs and sleep variables, as a cross-sectional study it was not designed to answer the obvious follow-up question of why these two things are linked.
However, the authors offer some speculation. Because sleep paralysis can involve visual and auditory hallucinations, and because exploding head syndrome has its namesake, the results suggest a Believe in extraterrestrials may be associated with sleep disturbances that include sounds or images.
“One explanation for these associations, therefore, is that someone who perceives sounds or images associated with sleep might interpret this as evidence that extraterrestrials or other supernatural beings exist,” they said to writealthough they note that more research is needed to test this.
On the other hand, some associations could also go the other way, the researchers add Paranormal Beliefs Cause anxiety that interferes with sleep. The prospect of paranormal visitors at night could potentially make sleep difficult, and not just for children.
That might help explain why a belief in ghosts, demonsor aliens was associated with lower subjective sleep quality, the researchers said to write, but what about beliefs that do not involve threatening entities? Is sleep quality also affected by fear of the existence of a soul or soul? life after death?
More research is needed to answer questions like these, they add, including studies examining additional factors such as mental health, education, personality traits, and religious beliefs for their associations with sleep and paranormal beliefs.
While the new study helps shed light on this association and fills in some gaps in our knowledge about it, it has some significant limitations.
For example, despite the large sample size, participants self-selected to participate in the study and are therefore “unlikely to be representative of the general population,” the researchers write.
“For example, the seemingly high rates of [isolated sleep paralysis] and [exploding head syndrome] could indicate that people with these symptoms are more likely than others to be interested in participating in this study,” they explain.
In addition to recruiting more representative samples, the researchers note, future studies of paranormal beliefs and sleep should use objective measurements sleep variables for more accuracy.
Nonetheless, the authors say their study offers new insights into the link between sleep and paranormal beliefs, and while there’s still a lot we don’t know, it could help raise awareness of the mere association for both patients and healthcare providers.
“Reports of paranormal activity or anomalous beliefs could be misconstrued as prima facie evidence of more serious disorders,” they said to write. This study “may encourage clinicians to investigate relevant sleep disorders and parasomnias in addition to other forms of psychopathology.”
The study was published in Journal of Sleep Research.
