At the same time, I let myself visualize nonsense images. My visual imagination isn’t very vivid, and I don’t try to create any specific images. It’s nothing more than a patchy and low-res mental screensaver.
I also don’t visualize. To reliably put myself to sleep assuming I’m not wide awake, I do my best to focus on the static and try to see images.
I visualize during dreams; or at least my waking memory says I was visualizing during dreams.
During hypnagogia, I can visualize, a bit. Trying to visualize moves me into hypnagogia, continuing puts me to sleep.
I learned a similar trick from an old LW post. You focus on the static in your visual field. If it starts to resolve into random seeming images, that is the beginning of hypnogagia, and if it starts to resolve into even more concrete imagery you are very close to sleep. Try to keep focusing on it, eventually you will fall asleep. This generally works for me.
I also don’t visualize. To reliably put myself to sleep assuming I’m not wide awake, I do my best to focus on the static and try to see images.
I visualize during dreams; or at least my waking memory says I was visualizing during dreams.
During hypnagogia, I can visualize, a bit. Trying to visualize moves me into hypnagogia, continuing puts me to sleep.
I learned a similar trick from an old LW post. You focus on the static in your visual field. If it starts to resolve into random seeming images, that is the beginning of hypnogagia, and if it starts to resolve into even more concrete imagery you are very close to sleep. Try to keep focusing on it, eventually you will fall asleep. This generally works for me.