Sometimes, there is still consciousness as this human self and body falls asleep. When that happens, I notice a point where the hearing turns off. It’s a quick fade-out. The reverse sometimes happens when I wake up.
This is something I have noticed for a while now, likely since my teens.
It makes sense. The consciousness I am notices itself, so it sometimes stays awake and conscious even as my human self and body falls asleep. And it also makes sense that my bodymind switches off hearing at some point, as it falls asleep. (Of course, it’s not a complete switch-off since some sounds will still wake me up.)
The consciousness I am also sometimes becomes conscious slightly before the body wakes up. And it has also happened that there is consciousness through deep dreamless sleep, without any content.
How does this fit into the longer process? I take it as just another reminder of what I am, and that this human self and the wider world and all experiences happens within and as what I am.
Why do I mention it here? It’s because there is something universal in all of my experiences. I assume this says something about our nature, how the consciousness we are interacts with this human self and biology, and so on. And I assume I am not the only one who has noticed this. It’s likely a relatively common noticing.