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If you’ve struggled with sleep, you’ve probably tried the following:
- Improving your sleep hygiene (dark room, no blue light or caffeine, cool temperature, bedtime rituals blah blah)
- Practicing relaxation techniques like sleep meditation, hypnosis, or breathing exercises
- Listening to binaural beats or calming 432Hz music
- Learning about sleep cycles
- Taking supplements like chamomile tea or magnesium
- As a last resort: sleeping pills
While these can help ease symptoms, they may not fully address the root cause of poor sleep.
Most people are familiar with sleep cycles like deep sleep and REM sleep. Tracking these cycles can guide you to bedtime decisions and ensure enough rest, but did you know sleep also involves four lesser-known stages?
Let’s explore the Thinking, Fantasy, Hypnoidal, and Unconscious stages to understand what’s happening when you drift off—and how to sleep better.
1. Thinking Stage
Imagine climbing into bed, fully awake, your brain is racing. You’re replaying the day: “Why did I say that to my team?” Or planning tomorrow: “What’s first after dropping my son at school?” Your mental to-do list writes itself.
In short, you’re stuck in daytime mode. A big meal, caffeine, or phone scrolling reinforces this alertness, keeping your mind and body “on.” You can’t just switch off— that’s why we need to wind down. This is where relaxation techniques or bedtime rituals come in, helping you turn the volume from high to low instead of flipping a switch.
Tip: Try brain-dump writing or deep breathing to quiet your racing thoughts.
2. Fantasy Stage
Once you loosen the grip to plan and control, you enter the Fantasy stage. Your brain and body relax, and your mind starts to drift. You shift from logical thoughts to sensory experiences, like feeling the warmth of your duvet or the softness of your mattress.
Though you’re still technically awake, your imagination kicks in. You might picture yourself lounging on a beach or painting a random picture. This creative phase can spark brilliant ideas—like suddenly knowing how to tackle a client’s long-term problem. (This has happened to me!)
Tip: Keep a notebook by your bed to capture those fleeting moments of genius.
3. Hypnoidal Stage
The Hypnoidal stage is a twilight zone—neither fully awake nor asleep. It’s like a bardo, where time feels distorted, and amnesia can occur. You might jerk awake from a noise, open your eyes, and have no idea how long you’ve been out (often just minutes).
Sudden sounds or voices can easily disrupt this delicate stage. I like wearing earplugs or background noise, like the hum of an air conditioner. They can mask interruptions and protect your transition to deeper sleep.
Tip: If you wake here, close your eyes, relax, and you’ll likely slip back quickly.
4. Unconscious Stage
This is where you’re truly “out”! The Unconscious stage includes deep sleep, where your body repairs and grows, and REM sleep, where you dream, process emotions, and sort memories. This is the heart of restoration—where real healing happens.
If you don’t get enough of this stage, you’ll feel groggy, even after hours in bed.
Why it matters: Prioritizing 7-9 hours of sleep ensures you cycle through this stage multiple times for maximum refreshment.
Why Can’t You Just DRIFT off?
Most people struggle between the Thinking and Fantasy stages.
If your mind is racing, you stay trapped in Thinking, spiraling into rumination. This triggers a fight-or-flight response, keeping you alert instead of letting you rest and digest. Without relaxing, you can’t reach the Fantasy stage or beyond.
Relaxation techniques like meditation, breathing, or sleep hypnosis help.
HOWEVER, they’re only part of the solution if your sleep issues also stem from chronic or acute stress—family, relationships, work, unresolved issues, or a search for purpose—you need to dig deeper.
Therapeutic tools like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), clinical hypnotherapy, or existential therapy can peel back the layers to address the core.
Ready to Reset Your Sleep?
Understanding these four stages can help you identify where you’re getting stuck and make small changes to glide through them. If you’re ready to tackle the root of your sleep struggles, book a 15-minute consultation to see if we’re a good fit. Let’s work together to help you sleep soundly and wake up refreshed!