Now they have a study which suggests that NDEs may be attributed to REM sleep "intrusion." Yes, that's right -- the brain's inability to properly filter out sleep images to real images.\n\nGood grief. I've read countless books and studies on the NDE phenomenon over the years and this is by far the most woefully inadequate scientific explanation that they've come up with yet!\n\nDon't they know that there are studies which clearly show that something leaves the body upon cessation of hearbeat and brain function?\n\nAre they aware that NDEs have been reported in the BLIND? (e.g. they could see during their NDEs but not after they returned to their bodies)\n\nIf they're going to be skeptical -- fine. But at least adequately research the darn thing.
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Here's what All About has to say in regards to this subject.\n\n___________\n\nWhat have we learned from life after death experiences? \n\nWe have all heard stories of people who have seemed to be dead - without vital signs for several minutes - only to be revived. Many of these people tell of traveling at high speeds through tunnels or of seeing brilliant white lights or even of coming face to face with God. \n\nThese life after death experiences raise many questions that directly reflect on Christianity - questions like, "What happens when we die?" and "Is it possible to communicate with the dead?" \n\nEven Christian believers disagree on what the Bible says on these matters. Some say those who die fall into a kind of dreamless sleep until Judgment Day. Others say the souls of the dead are immediately subjected either to Heaven or Hell, depending on whether they believe in Jesus. Still others say our souls remain conscious, but exist in a kind of limbo until the Day of Judgment arrives. \n\nLife after death experiences presuppose the soul remains conscious and aware after death. Those who have these experiences often report they retain the ability to see, to hear, to think, to feel - but they are unable to communicate with anyone. While the experience may be confusing, people report they are suffused with joy - partly as the result of being removed from the suffering of the body. \n\nIt is interesting that many life after death experiences are accompanied by a distinct sense of being two people - one physical and one spiritual. And the spiritual being is completely indifferent to the suffering self. \n\nPerhaps this is one reason the Apostle Paul tells us to die to ourselves, putting God ahead of our selfish desires: \n\n"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). \n\nResearchers report that about one in seven of those who are revived in such circumstances report seeing a brilliant light or even beings they interpret as angels, Jesus, or God. Some people report a sense of having their lives "reviewed." \n\nThe effect of the review is often beneficial and may lead some to accept God, others to rededicate themselves to what they perceive as God's purpose for them. \n\nSome Christians have claimed that after-death experiences are beyond the purview of God and are therefore demonic in nature. But it seems unlikely that being subjected to demonic influences would lead so many people to a closer walk with God. \n\nIn Luke 9:50, Jesus is asked by His followers what to do about a man who is casting out demons even though he is not a disciple. Jesus replies, "Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you." \n\nIn fact, for God to be truly omnipotent, He must be in control of these sojourns into death. Perhaps He uses them to direct His people. \n\n\nLife After Death: Why is it Such a Hot Topic?\nLife after death -- Why all the interest? Combine events like September 11th with the demographic phenomenon of the Baby Boom generation reaching its 50’s, and suddenly the reality of death from catastrophe and death from mere old age are upon us in a personal way. \n\nSo, it appears that more and more people are asking the same question that Job asked nearly 4,000 years ago in the Bible: "If a man dies, will he live again?" What could be a more fundamental question of life (and death)? Reincarnation theories are popular in Eastern religions as well as the many New Age variants. It seems people are comfortable with the idea of another chance to return to earth and figure things out or make things right. Some nihilist thinkers believe that death is the absolute end; but contrary to what many might think, most people believe that death is not the end. In some shape or form we go on. \n\nWhen Jesus was talking
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A good book to read about this is Sleep Thieves by Stanley Coren. He tells a few stories of people who tried to sustain wakefulness. \n\nOne famous case is the disc jockey Peter Tripp who in 1959 stayed up for more than eight days as a promotional stunt. After a few days, he began to hallucinate, seeing kittens, mice, and cobwebs. He also became paranoid, insisting that an electrician had dropped a hot electrode into his shoe. \n\nIn 1964 high school student Randy Gardner (17) attempted to break the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest time awake -- 260 hours. And after 11 days without sleep he suffered no hallucinations or paranoia and no psychotic symptoms. But Coren challenges this often repeated fact in his book. Coren describes the day-by-day impact on Randy, as documented by John Ross of the US Navy Medical europsychiatric Research Unit in San Diego. Randy had trouble focusing his eyes on day 2, hallucinations on day 4, and slurred speech and a short attention span by the last day. \n\nCertainly there are drugs such as caffeine, cocaine and amphetamines that keep you awake, but these cannot sustain you for very long.
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Your question is a good one, and you hit on the answer when you call it 'visual noise.'\n\nThe brain is a complex thing.  First off, vision is not a single 'sense' but more like a combination of related senses which work together.  That might seem odd, given that our eyes appear to do the hard work of 'seeing' things such that, without them, we're much worse off where vision is concerned.\n\nYour brain has a region called the 'visual cortex' which is located in the very back of your head.  This region is generally responsible for constructing images and making sense of what your eyes see.\n\nWhen you close your eyes, or enter a very dark room, suddenly there is no more information for your visual cortex to work with.  Its not quite like turning off a camera however.  \n\nYour brain is still quite active. It takes time for your brain to lower its activity.  What you are seeing are the after-images associated with all that former brain activity still playing itself out in your conscious awareness.  Your brain, suddenly starved for signals from your eyes, 'makes up' stuff to account for the small amount of accidental bio-electric activity that still remains.\n\nPerception and awareness are FAR less understood than the actual mechanics of visual stimulation.  Lots of people disagree on how we turn light and electricity/chemicals into mental pictures.  This process, and your perception of it, are still part of the great mystery of consciousness.
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This is one of the most common—and disturbing—nightmares that people have. The funny thing is, it’s not really a nightmare! \n\nWhat you are feeling when you are asleep and trying to wake up is a phenomenon known as “REM pressure.” Your body is trying to keep you asleep so it can continue dreaming. Why? Because you haven’t received your daily quota of REM! (Does your late night clubbing have anything to do with this? You bet!) \n\nWhen scientists first discovered REM in 1953, they began performing all sorts of tests to see how the body—and the mind—would react. For example, it was popular to believe that dreams released the psychological “pressures” of our subconscious minds. By extension, many people were quite sure that, if we didn’t dream, we all would simply go insane. \n\nOnly one way to test a theory, right? :-) \n\nBeing inquisitive minds, these scientists soon began recruiting subjects to experiment with REM deprivation. (To be fair, many of the scientists participated in the experiments themselves.) But the question remained: Would a REM-deprived person soon begin to hallucinate—and maybe hear voices during the day—as unconscious pressures began “seeping” into waking experience? \n\nThe answer, they soon learned, is no. REM-deprived patients are tired and grumpy, but they are not psychotic. What the scientists did learn, however, is that the body has an exceptionally strong drive to achieve REM sleep. Toward the end of the experiment, over 35 awakenings (per night) were required to prevent people from dreaming! (The body wants—and needs—its REM!!) It is significant to note that the experiment “ended” when the scientists no longer were able to keep their subjects awake. The subjects fell into a deep sleep, immediately began dreaming, and could not be awakened. \n\nWhat’s the moral of the story? You’re a little bit (maybe a lot!) REM-deprived. If you keep track of when these bouts of sleep paralysis occur, you will note that they almost always are associated with periods of sleep deprivation. Instead of your body waking up when your brain does, it’s asking you (well…insisting, really) that you let it sleep in a bit. The reason why you feel paralyzed is because you are! The body is unable to move during REM—so we don’t act out our dreams. \n\nWhat’s the good news? You’re not going insane! What’s the bad news? You may have to take a night off of your party schedule…to let your body catch up with your brain!
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It is not a fact and there is no proof of it. When it does happen there can be many explanations from hallucination to lack of oxygen to the brain. From a belief perspective that is another story and to each his own.
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First what are dreams? Second, why do we have them?\n\nPeople born blind do dream, but those dreams are based on what they have sensed before -- textures, sounds, smells and tastes. (I surmise in that order too).\n\nI'll answer the first question, but scientists are still figuring out the second one. Dreams coincide with your brain being active while you sleep. Neurons, the cells of the brain, sends and receives nerve impulses, almost like a cascade or a "random" screen-saver.  Why?  There might be a hint in the fact we go crazy and die if we don't sleep. And we sleep to dream. It may be like re-booting your computer now and then. It puts all the files back in their respective folders, resets all the registers, and organizes your information.\n\nOoops, its getting late, I need to reboot my computer.
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I have to agree that you answered that question very well and I gave you a thumbs up by the way since i was there. I do believe in demons and have encountered them in my life, BUT!!! people blame "demons" for everything. The sleep disorder you mentioned is very real indeed because I have experienced it before and know of others who have also. The studies have been done, and the evidence documented that proves this. This does not disprove that demons exist, but it does prove that there are DEFINATELY other eplanations for things in this life beside demons. Great question and great answer you gave by the way! Peace.
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I had what today is termed a "Near-Death Experience" or N.D.E. in 1972 when I was 12 years old before any of today's popular books and videos on the subject had been produced.  What I experienced had absolutely nothing in common with what I had been taught about death via my parents or religious upbringing.  I am now 46 and have been studying the phenomenon ever since.  I have many books, videos, and CDs about N.D.E.s in my library, so I consider myself very knowledgeable about the subject.  In addition, I am a college honors graduate, member of Outstanding College Students of America, a former College Bowl All Star (like the TV show "Jeopardy" except for American college students), and worked for many years as a professional journalist.  I was a pre-med major when I first entered college and am fairly well versed in modern science.  Bottom line:  N.D.E.s have been reported since the beginning of time (see Heironymous Bosch's paiting "Ascent of the Blessed" - circa 1450-1500.) and have absolutely nothing to do with the physical body or physical brain which Is Not the Seat of Consciousness as some would have you believe.  Many people who have experienced N.D.E.s had absolutely no brain activity, their hearts had stopped, their breathing had stopped, their eyes were closed, they were lying on a hospital gurney, and some even had their body temperatures quickly brought below freezing and all of their blood removed from their entire bodies; but these people were miraculously able to describe not only what the doctors did while they were clinically dead from a vantage point above their bodies but also were able to accurately describe conversations and events that took place in other parts of the hospital or even other parts of the world while they were "dead."  Unless you are very foolish indeed, the evidence suggests that consciousness survives physical death and can exist apart from the physical body.  What we now call N.D.E.s are reported by humans all over the world and tend to feature special characteristics.  Those characteristic include:  Separation from the physical body.  Floating above the physical body.  The appearance of a large tunnel of light.  Being sucked or drawn through the tunnel at what seems to be an incredibly high speed.  A unique and beautiful light at the end of the tunnel.  A doorway or portal at the end of the tunnel.  The appearance of deceased relatives, friends, or a recognizable religious figure who communicates telepathically and often escorts an N.D.E. recipient through the tunnel.  Usually in teens and adults, a three-dimensional, holographic-style "life review" in which the N.D.E. recipient not only sees, hears, and feels everything they've ever thought and done while physically alive, but also experiences what others felt and experienced as a result of their actions or inactions.  The N.D.E. recipient usually judges him or herself, but those whose consciences are very limited may have another spiritual being interpret for them.   Some have described this as having thier "life flash in front of them."  A being of light connected to the tunnel who communicates telepathically and may appear at the end of the tunnel near the door or portal.  Feelings of complete peace with no suffering or pain normally associated with the physical body.  Heightened intellectual awareness and sensitivity.  Sudden awareness of events, wisdom, or knowledge far beyond the normal scope of the person experiencing the N.D.E.  The ability to see or hear things beyond the normal scope of the human body.  The ability to travel over great distances at perhaps great speeds without any apparent aid through the exercise of conscious thought.  Not all N.D.E. recipients will report all of these characteristics or experiences, but they will report some of them because these core experiences are common to N.D.E.s.  Cultural or religious upbringing sometimes can in
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Are you talking about just being able to fall asleep quickly or are you talking about narcolepsy?\n\nIf it's the first, I think that some people are really just able to relax quicker and fall asleep faster than others.\n\nIf it's the second, it's a medical condition that cannot be controlled.  Here is a link with all the info:\n\nhttp://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/narcolepsy/narcolepsy.htm
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I have never heard that. It sounds like some holistic hoo ha, though. Fish oil helping with functioning of the brain? I would be wary. :)
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Forget about "believe," this is the science forum -- the question should be, is there any scientific proof that these are real?\n\nAnd yes, there is -- there's proof that our brains undergo changes as death approaches (usually from oxygen starvation of the brain), that can produce hallucinations. Neurons fire off in many parts of the brain in an apparent "last gasp" effort to stave off death, probably the brain's way of trying to get the rest of the body to do something to keep it from dying.  That many of the reported experiences are the same, no matter what culture or religion the person is from, suggests that it's something our brains do biologically, and isn't based on learning or life experiences.
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Hi ya\nYes every thing is changing in this world even when i am writing this for you. Our body is changing continously even while we are sleeping and no cells remain same. Yes most of these things can be seen by microscope but some cant be. Even the Dead cells are getting replaced by the new one and wit every second a new life is begaining and some where  its finishing. But dont worry, we usually dont care as we get used to these things and many time we dont even care. Hope this will answer you.\ntake care
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Well ... I'm sure you've read everything from strips, to doctors to ear plugs to nudging ... but come on who really wants to wake up nudge the person over until they stop ... that's the part that kills me ... he's on his back in a few minutes anyways & I'm stuck awake all night pushing and shoving his body over ... lol ... !\n\nI've learned to pick out his " bad " nights & sleep in the other room ... I also have ear plugs but it makes me nervous because I like to hear what's going on at night with the house, my daughter .... etc ... if he hasn't tried the strips yet I'd buy a few of those ... if that doesn't work - maybe a doctors visit is necessary ... other then that ... I also see why my grandma & grandpa slept in separate bedrooms my whole life too ... lol ... !
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One of my students is doing his research project on this issue, and though I have not read the paper yet, as he is not finished, I have talked with him and consulted his early sources.  He has found some interesting preliminary results.  \n\nIt seems that Sigmeund Freud, a Viennese doctor in the late 18th century studied dreams of his psychiatric patients, and through this research, he decided dreams could be interpreted as our subconscious minds' desires.  The implications for the Victorians of that era were great because overall Freud's theory of man's essential nature was that he is a selfish being whose basic motivations for life are about fulfilling those selfish needs and desires.  \n\nYet, much research has been done since that era.  A Dr. Karl(?) Jung, another later psychiatrist, has revamped Freud's original research, and even as late as the late 1980's, new research has connected dreams to chemical reactions in the brain occurring in the neurons along which all the electical impulses of the brain run, like electric circuitry, and this research says they are just random electrical discharges that have no meaning, like shadows of memories carried by the impulses, bits and pieces of images generated by earlier thoughts.  Yet, for me, this still leaves open the question.  Even if dreams are shadows of thoughts, one must ask if shadows of bits and pieces of memory would be purposeful for we humans.  I mean, why would our minds generate the shadow?  I think that is just as powerful a question as:  Why do our brains produce the chemical reactions carrying images of memories anyway?\n\nI think it is easy to see that there is much work to do yet in discovering the real essence of dreams before one can decide if there are more than random meanings to be taken from them.  And, that is basically what I am hearing from this student about his struggle with the research process so far.\n\nHope this is helpful.\n\nCC Ryder
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If they have never seen anything- they can't dream the images either.  I had a friend that was blind since birth tell me that what she sees is the same thing you see out of the back of your head.  Meanig- you can't actually see anything- but you might have the perception that something is there.
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To be honest, I think it is just what you suspected : While you may have felt that you never slept......you really did drop off a few times each evening.\n\n  If you do any reading on this subject, it's pretty clear that the brain needs sleep, or the person really does start exibiting some fairly serious symptoms. \n\n   Not just being tired, but....things like rather major delusions and hallucinations of fairly spooky proportions.\n\n  So.....if you actually spent some time in bed.....my guess is that you did get sleep, even if it may have not seemed like it at the time.\n\n  Bob J.
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I think it's one of those things that have just been around forever.  \n\nTo put the idea into a child's mind that there is a possibility that they could die before they woke up in the morning is awful.  It's probably one of the reasons so many have trouble sleeping at night.