That moment right before sleep

I was laying on the couch this afternoon, resting after a very long day yesterday. Afternoon sun, muted by cloud cover and blinds gave the room a nice, warm light. I notice that there’s this moment right as I was dozing off that my brain kinda takes off and goes to really random places, even for me.

I have noticed this before, but it has piqued my interest this time around. It’s this strange, half aware, half dreaming state.

I wonder if this happens to everyone. I also wonder what it would be like to extend the length of time spent in that state from a few seconds to a few minutes, and what doing that would entail. What is the electrochemical activity in the brain like at that point, and what purpose does this state serve?

I’ve been at that point and suddenly remembered something I had wanted to remember but couldn’t or got some grand inspiration for a problem I have been working on. What is it about this moment that allows those things to happen? Some research is in order….