Hypnagogia is a noun that refers to the state immediately before falling asleep.

The Greek prefix H-Y-P-N-A means ‘sleep,’ as in hypnosis. And Agogos (ah GO gose) means ‘leading.’ Our word of the day describes that period where you are being lead to sleep. Here’s an example of hypnogogia in use:

That period of hypnagogia is a great time for songwriting. The images and sounds that come to mind are very creative and hallucinatory.