Is there a link between sleep quality and paranormal beliefs?

Is it because we sleep badly that we tend to believe in ghosts or is it because we believe in ghosts that we sleep badly? This is the question posed by British psychologists in order to study the link between quality of sleep and paranormal beliefs.

For this work, the experts proposed a questionnaire based on the international classification of sleep disorders to 8853 participants. They were questioned on several topics:

• life after death,
• the existence of ghosts,
• the existence of demons,
• the ability for some people to communicate with the dead,
• near death experiences,
• the aliens.

The researchers also asked the participants about the quality of their sleep.

A link between sleep quality and paranormal beliefs

Results: the people who believe the most in these theories, especially those of life after death, are also those who have the most sleep paralysis. And for those who believe in visits from extraterrestrials, they would be more victims of an exploding head syndrome, represented by a loud noise when falling asleep. But is it the fact of sleeping badly which induces these beliefs or the reverse? For researchers, difficult to decide.

A cerebral disorder in question?

For experts, the belief in life after death increases with lack of sleep, yet the most convinced of this fact sleep very well. For researchers, this is explained by the soothing and protective nature of faith. And of course, fearing the appearance of demons or other terrifying creatures at night can help keep you awake.

But in general, researchers put forward the idea that bad nights are responsible for paranormal beliefs. Indeed, it is already known that certain pathologies, located in certain areas of the brain, can cause hallucinations or a feeling of imminent death. This study therefore once again shows how crucial sleep is for the proper functioning of our brain.