Do you relate to a dream-like state conducive to composing/improvising?

[ranjit]

Do you find that you come up with better creations when you are not completely awake?
I find that I come up with a lot of good ideas, and music flows much more "naturally", say, in the middle of the night, or when I wake up unexpectedly or am sleep-deprived in some manner -- essentially in a dream-like state where I'm not fully awake. Have you experienced something similar?

[ted]

No, certainly not, I need all the conscious thought and motor control I can muster for improvising. I find it a very taxing activity, both physically and mentally, and I like to keep fit and get plenty of rest in order to enjoy it. 

[j_tour]

Not for improvising:  I'm not a very original improvisor, and stick to pretty much old-school jazz, as late as bebop from the 1950s.  So, no, I'm not really thinking hard about what to play ex tempore, but I do put a lot of thought into what tunes I want to play and a general idea of what I want to say.  You, know, what techniques I want to use, what the overall shape should be.

For composing?  My book of originals is not much to speak of.  Mostly contrafacts or things I just felt like jotting down on paper, not really big important pieces.  Just something to play.

For performing, though, yes, indeed.  I have a pretty lively dream life — even if I nod off at my desk, I'll pretty often have vivid dreams for...maybe as few as ten minutes.

Those brief dreams inform anything I want to play, besides improvising and composing, more than anything else.  I believe I'm capable of analyzing and isolating moments in music of others, at least as well as most people, but it inspires me to have a conception in my head/inner-ear.