How does the process of hearing differ between a person who is awake and a person who is asleep?

Because when sleeping the brain shuts off iminportant things like hearing

Your thinking is different. Ever heard of sound sleepers or light sleepers? Once you go to sleep you are out, so it takes some time for you to hear things cause you are knocked out sleep in your thoughts. But when you are awake you are alert and can hear correctly the first time around. :D HOPE THIS HELPS,

Answer up to 6,000 fatal crashes a year;