On the edge: why do people see the same dreams just before they die?

Experts from the American Center for Hospice and Palliative Care in Buffalo studied patients for 10 years and made an interesting discovery: They discovered what dreams people have before they die.

According to patients, in 72% of cases, on the eve of death, they had dreams in which they communicated with deceased relatives and friends, experiencing warm feelings. 59% of patients in their last dreams packed suitcases or bought tickets as if they were getting ready for their last journey. Some were already traveling on a train or flying on a plane, and sometimes, they also found long-dead relatives next to them, with whom they happily communicated.

29% of patients also saw their loved ones and friends in their dreams, but only living ones. Finally, 28% saw memories from their past life in their dreams. These memories were things that had made them happy. Dying children were an exception; they most often dreamed of deceased pets they recognized. Adults also dreamed, but their patients could not remember.

When do dreams begin before death?

Mysterious dreams begin about 10-11 weeks before death, and three weeks before death, their frequency rapidly increases, and the dreams become more vivid. Scientists have found that almost everyone who has had a dream before death says they thought it was real because the dreams were intense.

However, some experts are not sure about this. 45% of the study participants said they had seen these dreams in deep sleep. In 16% of cases, they happened during awakening, and in 39%, they began upon awakening and continued when the person was no longer sleeping, turning into something similar to a vision. Because of this, some doctors find studies of dreams before death unconvincing, as they believe the visions may be caused by delusions caused by the powerful drugs given to patients.