Hi...last night I tried the counting with a tungsten bulb hooked up to a dimmer. I did loose count later on but I was in this semi concious state for a while and I woke up. I think it was the light that kept me concious because I can still see the glow through my eyes and I conditioned myself to be aware of the light. I din't try a second time because I feared that it might disturb the next room, brightness was slightly less than a 25w bulb. So my theory is that the counting served as a relaxer and anti distracter which brings me faster to the drifting off state and the light serves as a conciousness preserver...LOL. I will try again tonight.....

IMJ