A surprising new study has found that 10% of people report having near-death experiences (NDEs). Indicative of a global phenomenon, researchers gleaned the data from participants in 35 countries. The NDEs took place during life-threatening events such as heart attacks and car crashes, as well as less dangerous situations. Common elements included: abnormal time perception, feeling out of the body or having their "soul sucked out," hearing angels singing, and their life flashing before them.
Interestingly, there was a higher rate of people reporting unpleasant aspects to the NDEs than shown in previous studies. Researchers also found an association between NDEs and the occurrence of REM sleep intrusion into wakefulness (such as with sleep paralysis). Read more about the study at Medical Xpress.