Hypnogogia and such

Hello dreamers, I have a question of definition that I’m sure at least one of you can answer. When I am trying to fall asleep,the black that normally is devoid of anything but little flecks of white light like TV static turns into pictures. I don’t mean like incredibly vivid high definition pictures but like sort of fuzzy images of random stuff. there are rarely any sounds. I have always been able to see these but lately i have been able to control what happens in them to an extent. but it is a challenge, like i am fighting against something for control of them. if i just close my eyes and relax i can see them almost instantly. Are these hypnogogia? If so than why can i see them so easily when everyone else needs to do WILD to see them? If they’re not then what are they? The Quasar thanks you for your contribution. :grin:

Those images are the first stages of hypnagogia. If you close your eyes for a few seconds and relax you can easily start to see them; it takes no effort whatsoever. If you just passively watch it, it will slowly develop into a dream.

That happens very often when you are falling asleep, especially in the night. I doubt that it will develop into a dream. You are merely entering NREM-1, which does include some sort of HI. However, after that, I doubt that you will see anything more until you are actually in a REM state, which won’t happen earlier than after 90-120 minutes after falling asleep.
If you want to do WILD, however, I strongly advice you to wake up after 4.5 - 6 hours of sleep. That is the most suitable time for a WILD, since you will directly enter the REM phase. And it will be a lot easier to fall asleep.