sarah,

I have a similar problem with that last transition mode from relaxing into sleep. Sometimes, it is almost like a seizure as my body, rather than relaxing into sleep, gets a heightened sense of my surroundings. I have used two different drugs to help me past this. For years, I took gabapentin an hour or two before going to sleep. It worked good. Since November, I have been taking Xyprexa. I have tried a few times to get to sleep without meds but ended up very tense and restless.