Thanks, Anagogy. I like the idea of lucid dreaming. Cylon mentioned that, too. I've had lucid dreams before, but I didn't know that's what they were until I started reading about them on this site. I'll give it try.
And never fear, Eli, I don't have a boyfriend at the moment, but if I did, I'd be wide awake.
I may fall asleep when I'm trying to meditate because I'm bored. In order to quiet my mind, I try to stop thinking, which makes me kind of bored, which makes me relax and fall asleep.
I think the main thing I've gotten out of all the suggestions is to stay alert and focused but without letting my thoughts take over. Letting my thoughts run away is sometimes a problem in other areas of my life, too. For example, I love to read, but if something is on my mind, it's difficult to focus on what I'm reading. I can see that meditation would be a good practice for me because it would help me to control my thinking.