Floating sensations prior to sleep and out-of-body experiences

Research suggests that a sensation of floating prior to sleep may be indicative of several sleep-related phenomena such as sleep paralysis, hypnagogic imagery, and out-of-body experiences (OBEs). Previous research into OBEs in particular has been limited in considering the broad range of tactile, auditory, and visual phenomena reported by individuals prior to sleep which relate to a floating sensation that tends to precede an OBE. In the present study, 178 participants were surveyed regarding their experience of a floating sensation prior to sleep as part of a larger OBE questionnaire. A thematic analysis was conducted in order to determine commonalities in floating sensations prior to sleep reported among participants. Themes in reports of tactile and emotional content during a floating sensation were noted. Tactile sensations of feeling light or weightless, body detachment or loss of physical sensation, sensations of flying and sensations of falling were most common. Emotions relevant to a sense of floating were reported as being negative, positive, or associated with a feeling of freedom. A number of the floating sensations reported prior to sleep overlapped with common descriptions of OBEs found in literature, while others did not. Implications are discussed.