New research suggests that end-of-life dreams are a comforting part of the dying process.

Researchers from Canisius College in New York suggests that end-of-life dreams are essential and could make one's final weeks or days of life easier to bear.

"These dreams and visions may improve quality of life and should be treated accordingly," researcher James Donnelly, associate professor of counseling and human services and director of measurement & statistics for the Institute of Autism Research at Canisius College, said in a statement.

For the study, researchers interviewed 66 patients at the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care in Cheektowaga, N.Y. about their end-of-life dreams and vision experiences in the last weeks of life.

Donnelly found that "the most common dreams and visions were of deceased relatives or friends." Dreams and visions about the deceased were "significantly more comforting" to patients than other kinds of end-of-life dreams and visions, and became more frequent as the person approached death.

"This study demonstrates that end-of-life dreams and visions are commonly experienced and characterized by a consistent pattern of realism and emotional significance," he said.

The study noted that some medical professionals tend to discount pre-death dreams and visions.

According to Donnelly, if doctor's interpret these dreams as "delusions or hallucinations, they are treated as problems to be controlled."

But there is an important distinction between end-of-life dreams and visions and delirium. The study concluded: "During a delirium state, the person has lost their connection to reality and ability to communicate rationally. Delirium is distressing and dangerous, and must be treated medically. In contrast, our study shows that end-of-life dreams and visions are typically comforting, realistic, and often very meaningful, highlighting a critical difference."

The findings are detailed in the Journal of Palliative Medicine.