Idiopathic hypersomnia symptoms in the forms of recurrent lucid dreams and out-of-body experiences: A preliminary study

Objective. The arousal of consciousness during REM sleep can lead to states of sleep paralysis (SP), lucid dreaming (LD), out-of-body experiences (OBEs), and false awakening (FA). We know that recurrent SP is a symptom of sleep disorders like insomnia or narcolepsy. This study hypothesizes that other recurrent phenomena related to SP could also be signs of sleep deviations like insomnia and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH). The results of the study could simplify the diagnostic process for sleep disorders in adults while also improving our knowledge of the nature of REM sleep.Method. Filtered data from ‘Survey on lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, out-of-body experiences, and false awakening’ (N = 710) was used to compare sleep duration (SD) with patterns of insomnia (<6 sleep hours) and IH with long sleep (>9 sleep hours).Results. rLD was mostly prevalent among the >9 hour SD group (IH, OR 2.8) at 43.3%, in comparison to 29.1% for the <6 hour SD group and 21.1% for the control group. rOBE was most prevalent among the >9 hour SD group (IH, OR 3.0) at 32.1%, in comparison to 17.0% of the <6 hour SD group and 13.6% for the control group. rFA had no OR significance.Discussion. The results show that LD and OBE could be signs of improper SD or even indirect symptoms of sleep disorders like IH with long sleep. The results do not relate to intentional LD practice, as this requires separate research. The outcomes of this study provide an easy means of recognizing deviations in sleep, with potential applications in medicine and in improving quality of life.