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  • There are probably few experiences you could have that would confuse your brain more than

  • almost dying.

  • Hey friends, Laci Green here for DNews. "Near death experiences" have been described by

  • people across the world who came--or thought they were coming--within an inch of their

  • life. What's totally crazy is that no matter who you are, where you come from---everyone

  • describes it very similarly. It starts with a warmth spreading throughout their body,

  • absolute serenity and calm, some might even call it nirvana. Then comes a bright light

  • and a feeling of being detached from the body, as if you were floating.

  • The number of people who have a near death experiences is on the rise, thanks to technologies

  • that can save people at the last moment. Naturally, there's a burning question:

  • WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN!??

  • This is a complicated and emotionally charged question. For some, the near death experience

  • is proof of the afterlife. For others, it's a fascinating neurological question. Let's

  • take a look at this phenomenon through a scientific lens.

  • One of the most highly regarded studies on NDEs comes from the University of Kentucky.

  • They found that some Near Death Experiences may actually be something called REM intrusion.

  • During REM intrusion, the mind awakes before the body, which can trigger hallucinations.

  • It's sort of like dreaming - while you're awake, kind of. I covered this phenomenon

  • in my video about sleep paralysis, so if you're interested you should definitely check that

  • out cause it's freaky stuff.

  • Because REM intrusion happens in the brainstem, it's possible for this to occur even when

  • higher functioning parts of the brain have gone dead.

  • Building on this research, trauma to the brain can result in a sensory mix-up. As your brain

  • struggles to stay alive, all of that chaos results in an information overload in the

  • visual cortex. This is known to produce visions of a bright light or a dark tunnel.

  • The brain also releases a flood of happy endorphins which put you in a profound state of peace

  • and calm. And because your brain is responsible for orienting your body relative to everything

  • around you, trauma and oxygen deprivation can cause a sort of out of body experience.

  • This has been observed in lots of people who aren't having a near death experience as well.

  • Lastly, a new study has been published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of

  • Sciences on NDEs.

  • The study was done on rats and found that after cardiac arrest, there is a crazy spike

  • in neural activity. The lead author says that "if anything, the brain is much more active

  • during the dying process than even the waking state". Essentially, the neurons go into overdrive

  • as death sets in, causing the brain to go haywire in a predictable way - cue warmth,

  • bright light, floating, etc. We perceive this experience with profound intensity as our

  • brain takes a last hurrah before death.

  • I can't decide if this is beautiful or terrifying or depressing or what. Let me know your thoughts

  • about near death experiences down below or on our facebook page and I'll see you next

  • time here on DNews!

There are probably few experiences you could have that would confuse your brain more than

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