Research Shows Link Between Paranormal Beliefs And Sleep Deprivation

Any thought of paranormal activities or anything supernatural sends a chill down the spine of anyone who is scared of these abnormal things. The fact that so many individuals continue to believe in paranormal activity is due to this fear. However, a recent study found a link between the quality of sleep and the occurrence of seeing ghosts or paranormal or supernatural things, such as experiencing the presence of ghosts.

The research, which has been published in the Wiley Online Library, is titled "The associations between paranormal beliefs and sleep variables."

In order to arrive at a firm conclusion, the researchers of this study, which was carried out as a survey, tried to undertake thorough research by evaluating paranormal beliefs in relation to a wide range of sleep variables in a large sample.

According to Science Alert, researchers conducted the study using an online survey, and the recruitment was promoted on social media and in the BBC Science Focus magazine. In the end, 8,853 participants who were all at least 18 years old responded to questions about various paranormal topics and sleep variables.

"Links between paranormal beliefs and the other sleep variables were also revealed-and for all associations, it was found that a higher level of paranormal belief was associated with a poorer subjective sleep quality, even when controlling for age and gender effects," the study's authors mentioned.

"In particular, participants who reported stronger beliefs in the soul living on after death, the existence of ghosts, the ability of some people to communicate with the dead, and the presence of aliens on Earth tended to report lower sleep efficiency, longer sleep latency, shorter sleep duration, and increased insomnia symptoms."

The experts behind the study mentioned that "reports of paranormal activity or anomalous beliefs could be mistaken as prima facie evidence for more severe disorders." And they believe that "this may encourage clinicians to assess for relevant sleep disturbances and parasomnias in addition to other forms of psychopathology."