The veil between worlds is said to be thinnest around 3am because you're in a gamma state during REM sleep.

Audra Gordon
4 hours ago
2 min read

What actually happens in the brain during sleep

During sleep, your brain cycles through stages roughly every ninety minutes. The stage most associated with vivid dreams, symbolism, and altered perception is REM sleep.

REM sleep is dominated by:

• Theta waves which support imagery, memory, and emotional processing

• Bursts of gamma activity layered on top of theta rhythms

Gamma waves are the key part people often misunderstand.

How the gamma state works

Gamma waves are the fastest brain waves, typically around thirty to one hundred hertz. They are associated with:

• Heightened awareness

• Pattern recognition

• Integration of information across the brain

• Moments of insight or sudden knowing

In waking life, gamma activity appears during deep focus, intuition, and peak cognitive moments. In REM sleep, gamma bursts occur while the body is fully relaxed and sensory input from the outside world is mostly shut down.

This creates a unique condition:

• The rational gatekeeping mind is offline

• The emotional and symbolic mind is active

• The brain is rapidly integrating memories, feelings, and imagery

• Consciousness becomes inwardly focused rather than outwardly focused

In other words, gamma during REM does not mean alert like daytime gamma. It means internally vivid, immersive awareness without physical grounding.

Why this can feel like the veil is thin

When gamma activity happens while:

• Your body is still

• Your senses are muted

• Your ego defenses are quiet

The mind experiences images, sensations, and emotions as extremely real.

This is why people report:

• Lucid dreams

• Hypnagogic visions

• Hearing voices or names

• Sudden insights

• The feeling of a presence

Neurologically, the brain is generating meaning without external sensory correction. Spiritually, this feels like access to something beyond the ordinary mind.

The important nuance most explanations miss

You are not in a constant gamma state during REM sleep. Gamma appears in brief bursts, especially during emotionally charged or vivid dream moments. If you wake naturally during one of these bursts, which often happens around 3am due to sleep cycles, the experience can feel intense and uncanny.

Why spiritually sensitive people notice it more

People who are intuitive, creative, empathic, or practiced in inner awareness tend to:

• Remember dreams more clearly

• Wake during REM more often

• Stay conscious during transitional brain states

So the experience feels meaningful rather than random.