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Comment by jniedrauer | Hacker News Reader

>do you also have high rates of sleep paralysis?

Yes, often toward the end of this near-dreaming state, just before entering deeper sleep. I experience a sensation like entering a free fall and lose the ability to move. It takes quite a lot of energy to climb back out of it and regain the ability to move.

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A similar experience occurs with me almost always when jet lagged. After fighting off sleep for much of the day when I finally fall asleep during the later part of the day, it starts off exactly like described - a really dreamy state. Then after I have slept a couple of hours, I enter a state where I am sleeping and also awake at the same time and wanting to wake up but in a state of sleep paralysis where it is a herculean effort to try and shake off sleep and wake up. More often than not, even though I know I am in this state, still a panic sets in me that I am not able to shake off sleep and I wake up after quite some effort. And yes, I have had dreams where I have been able to solve some problems at work even without thinking about them during the day. Its totally fascinating!

How would you describe your sleep hygiene? Do you sleep the same amount every night? Do you fall asleep at the same time? How much sleep do you get? Are you generally very tired when you lay down to sleep?

Just curious as someone who has never had any of these N1 experiences, what might I be missing...

I used to have fairly poor sleep hygiene but am now pretty good about it. I have had this experience in both states. I had night terrors as a child which eventually gave way to curiosity, and I practiced staying self aware while falling asleep. A common trick you can use is to learn to recognize the signs that you are sleeping, for example by checking your phone. Digital screens will have garbled symbols in a dream. You also might notice altered laws of physics, or suddenly remember that you already went to bed and the dream can't be real. After the first few times, your brain learns how to do it and it happens more and more without effort. Then you can stay self aware while falling asleep, and can start to explore the transition states that you otherwise couldn't see.

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