while I was falling/as I've fallen asleep lately

[Marika33]

• This thought has crossed my mind many times while I was falling asleep lately.

Is it fine to say this?
Is the choice of the present perfect at the beginning and the past continuous at the end fine?
I want to say that lately (the present perfect) each time I was (in the middle of) falling asleep (the continuous aspect), a thought came to my mind.

I don't like this version (below), as the perfect simple aspect at the end may suggest that the thought came to my mind after I fell asleep, which is not what I want to say.

• That thought has crossed my mind many times as I've fallen asleep lately.

 

[Tarheel]

The original is fine.

 

[Marika33]

The original is fine.

Thanks for your reply!

Is my understanding about the present perfect here correct? Could it really mean that first I fell asleep and only then/after it came to my mind?

I don't like this version (below), as the perfect simple aspect at the end may suggest that the thought came to my mind after I fell asleep, which is not what I want to say.

• That thought has crossed my mind many times as I've fallen asleep lately.

 

[Piscean]

Is it fine to say this?

We don't use 'fine' in this sense in negative and interrogative sentences.

I don't like this version (below), as the perfect simple aspect at the end may suggest that the thought came to my mind after I fell asleep, which is not what I want to say.

• That thought has crossed my mind many times as I've fallen asleep lately.

It doesn't. We understand that the falling asleep is not a punctual process . The thought comes before the process is complete.

 

[Marika33]

We understand that the falling asleep is not a punctual process. The thought comes before the process is complete.

The thought comes before the process of falling asleep is complete, even though the present perfect is used?

• That thought has crossed my mind many times as I've fallen asleep lately.

I thought, so as not to mislead anyone, or to not sound ungrammatical, it would be better for me to say,

• That thought has crossed my mind many times while I was falling asleep lately.

 

[Piscean]

You can use the past continuous if you wish, but the present perfect will not 'mislead' anyone.

 

[jutfrank]

Say it like this:

This thought has crossed my mind many times lately while falling asleep.