Its hard to keep your consciousness while falling asleep, so i found this technique to help you practice keeping your consciousness.

You should do this during a brief awakening.

When you are completely relaxed, lie comfortably on your back in bed. Lift one hand and forearm until it is pointed upward, held perpendicular to your upper arm. Keep your arm in this position as you drift off to sleep. When you lose conscious awareness, your arm will naturally fall back to the bed, which will most likely wake you up. When this occurs, begin the technique again. The purpose of this exercise is to teach yourself how to retain your conscious awareness as you transition into the sleep state, to maintain a perfect balance between a physically sleeping body and a consciously aware mind. You'll eventually become able to remain mentally awake long after your body falls asleep.

heres the website

http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/h...m-while-awake/