The Boston Globe has a cool infographic by Jonah Lehrer and Javier Zarracina, describing five simple ways in which sensory perception can be altered using everyday objects. These include the Ganzfeld procedure, a mild sensory deprivation technique which leads to visual or auditory hallucinations; the Pinocchio illusion, in which one's nose is perceived as being incredibly long; and the rubber hand illusion, whereby one can be fooled into thinking that a fake hand is a part of one's own body.
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I'm 100% sure I'm wrong but if the hallucinations produced during the Ganzfeld Procedure are as a result of sensory deprivation then perhaps sensory deprivation plays a role in dreams? Because obviously when one is sleeping it is quiet and there is no light.