Bedtime Fantasies: A Common Ritual
By day, Julie (38) works as a legal advisor. But as soon as night falls and she’s about to nod off, her other life begins. She steps into imaginary shifts as a neurosurgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital—the iconic setting from « Grey’s Anatomy »—trying hard to win over her new medical team. Julie relives this personal episode every night to lull herself to sleep. As she puts it herself:
“It’s really my slide into the night.”
And Julie isn’t the only one. Many people create elaborate bedtime stories for themselves, with some even sharing their favorites on TikTok. The phenomenon has grown so much that it boasts its own small online communities.
HuffPost collected a dozen stories from people who swear by this bedtime method. There’s Matthieu, 49, who regularly fantasizes about having an unlimited budget to remodel his house. Or Charlotte, 37, who, during her teen years, dreamed that Heath Ledger and Josh Hartnett were her next-door neighbors—talk about star-studded sleep!
According to psychiatrist Dr. Nicolas Neveux, author of « Pratiquer la Thérapie Interpersonnelle (TIP), » this habit is super common:
“It’s very frequent. There are people who do it almost systematically every night before falling asleep, while others do it occasionally.”
From Childhood Imagination to Adult Comfort
Armelle spent her childhood evenings pretending to be a figure skater, living a whirlwind romance with her competition partner. Even today, she enjoys inventing love stories at bedtime:
“I’m in a relationship, and of course, those stories are never with my actual boyfriend, but they’re not with real people either—more like the idea of someone. Usually, if I can’t sleep within 30 seconds, I start telling myself a story, and within five minutes I’m out like a light.”
She once thought everyone had similar bedtime routines, but only realized otherwise during a writing workshop:
“Other people don’t necessarily tell themselves stories to fall asleep.”
Dr. Marc Rey, president of France’s National Institute for Sleep and Vigilance (INSV), notes:
“It totally depends on how your brain is wired. Everyone has their own way of soothing themselves to let go. But having a fictional activity before sleep is as old as time. Parents have always told or read stories to children at bedtime.”
Imagination: The Bridge to the Unconscious
The primary function of these make-believe scenarios? Helping us slip into the realm of the unconscious. Dr. Neveux explains:
“When you’re falling asleep, your conscious mind shuts off and makes room for your unconscious, which starts making associations and lets your imagination run wild.”
Lauren, 40, has used bedtime daydreaming since her teens to « project herself into what she wants to happen » in her life. For her, it’s a time to connect deeply with her subconscious:
“The place I go is right next to a daydream, so it’s like I pass through the door almost instantly into sleep. There’s a moment when I lose control of the plot and it all goes haywire. I love that feeling, because I know I’m falling asleep but I’m also aware of the fantasy. At that stage, it’s almost mystical.”
Some people even manage to carry their imaginary stories into their dreams, as Julie has—her nocturnal neurosurgeon adventures don’t end when she drifts off, but continue in dreamland!
Escaping Real Life with a Quick Story
For many, these nighttime tales aren’t just for fun—they’re also an escape from everyday worries. Noélie, facing six years of a stressful job and almost no real time off, would return every night to the same scenario: stranded on a deserted island, blissfully alone, building her shelter, cutting wood, and lounging on the beach.
“It was a way out for me. I had no thoughts about the real world anymore, and I loved making all my own decisions without any outside interference.”
Anna, 34, uses bedtime storytelling to manage intrusive thoughts:
“When I have too many distressing images pop into my head before sleep, I force myself (with varying degrees of success) to focus on stories that are usually pretty cheerful and trivial, and it calms me down.”
This calming effect comes up in most testimonials. Often, the themes of these invented stories reflect what’s going on in the dreamer’s real life. As Cathy puts it, she has followed the same characters in her head since childhood:
“When I felt lonely, my character was surrounded by friends. When I was down, my character was thriving. If I found life boring, there would be wild adventures in my head. It’s sort of a defense mechanism to balance out reality.”
But can this method help everyone who struggles to fall asleep? Dr. Marc Rey sounds a note of caution:
“Yes, stories have a calming effect. But to come up with soothing stories, you need to have the ability. Not everyone can do that.”
From Childhood Games to Lifelong Creativity
For many, the ability (and the urge) to create these imaginary tales goes way back to childhood and is fueled by fiction. Fanny started inventing bedtime scenarios while playing Tomb Raider, while Damien drew early inspiration from cartoons he watched as a kid:
“I became the hero. By the time I drifted off, I had saved the world three or four times.”
Before joining the ranks of Seattle Grace surgeons in her mind, Julie lived out stories in the universe of Friends and Dawson’s Creek during her adolescence (with Pacey falling, of course, madly in love with her and leaving Joey behind). She admits:
“It might be a little sad to say this, but honestly, I’ve always found that the lives in books and TV shows seemed a lot more fun than real life.”
For some, this strong bond with fiction has shaped their passion or career paths. Fanny even published a book based on her nighttime stories. Anna became a screenwriter and is convinced her calling began with her bedtime daydreams.
John is a curious mind who loves to write about diverse topics. Passionate about sharing his thoughts and perspectives, he enjoys sparking conversations and encouraging discovery. For him, every subject is an invitation to discuss and learn.
