The period just before falling asleep in which your mind is partly awake and partly dreaming is referred to as the hypnagogic state. It’s a liminal state in which your conscious awareness and subconscious start to blend. Many people experience a split sensation of being “half awake, half asleep." during this moment.
Simple enough, right? But you can actually identify these two perceived consciousnesses can as your “watcher” self (the one noticing and aware) and your “dreamer” self (the one slipping into sleep and dream states). This can sometimes manifest as observing your own thoughts or body from a detached perspective. This kind of dual awareness is often a foundation for lucid dreaming in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming and can sometimes control the dream. But I recently had an interesting idea about this Dreamer and the Observer effect. Could this concept be applied to everyday waking life as well? It's almost as if there are two personas: one that's immersed in the moment, and another that's observing it. The observer may influence how we react to things or determine the appropriate course of action in a situation we are experiencing. I guess that reduces Freudian consciousness to two entities instead of three?
But back to the late night dreaming aspect. Such an experience shows a deep sensitivity to your internal states and transitions, which can be a great asset for self-awareness, creativity, or introspection. If you’re interested, you can even develop this state of mind to achieve it more often.
For starters, you can practice mindfulness meditation during the day. Focus on your breath, bodily sensations, or passing thoughts without judgment. This strengthens your “watcher” self, making you more aware of your thoughts and states, even as you drift into sleep.
Keep a notebook or app by your bed. When you wake up (even in the middle of the night), jot down any memories, sensations, or “split” consciousness experiences. Recording these experiences makes your mind more attuned to them, enhancing recall and possibly leading to more vivid or lucid experiences.
Here's an interesting practice. Several times a day, ask yourself, “Am I dreaming?” Try to push your finger through your palm or read a line of text twice to see if it changes. By making this a habit, your mind may carry this questioning attitude into sleep, increasing your chances of becoming lucid during dreams.
Have you ever heard of the Wake-Back-to-Bed (WBTB) Technique? Simply set an alarm for about 4–6 hours after you go to sleep. Stay awake for 10–20 minutes, reading about dreams or meditating, then go back to sleep. This interrupts your sleep cycle and can boost your awareness during the hypnagogic (falling asleep) and hypnopompic (waking up) states, making it easier to notice dual consciousness or enter lucid dreams.
This next suggestion might be a little scary for some. As you’re falling asleep, gently ask yourself, “Who is falling asleep? Who is watching?” Don’t force answers—just observe what happens. This can deepen your sense of self-awareness and may allow you to consciously witness the transition into sleep.
This is one of my favorites because I can see detailed images and scenes while falling asleep. As you notice yourself drifting, pay gentle attention to the images, sounds, or sensations that arise. Try to remain calmly observant without getting too attached or excited. This can make you more familiar with the boundary between wakefulness and sleep, and sometimes even allow you to “step into” a lucid dream from the waking state (a technique called Wake-Initiated Lucid Dream, or WILD). However, I can say, first hand, that after a few seconds of enjoying these images or scenes, it's easy to get excited and wake up. So try to remain calm while at the same time curious.
Keep in mind that going to bed at the same time each night and avoiding screens before bed can improve your overall sleep quality and make these experiences easier to access.
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