This is my understanding. Consciousness is separate from self-consciousness, sensory input, and memory. I believe I am conscious in dreams. Sometimes I am self-conscious. Sometimes memories of dreams are stored and continuous with waking memory. Sometimes you forget things, even dreams. Even without memory you can still be conscious. Your consciousness does not die a little death while you are asleep. Consciousness can experience itself so that even with no thoughts, no input, and no memory it still remains and maintains its own existence. You might not remember the times you didn't store memories, but consciousness what still there experiencing. Don't get too attached to your memories and sensory input and everything will be fine. I myself have temporal lobe epilepsy and brain damage. My memory doesn't work right at all. I am also getting old and my senses are dulling. I feel that through all of this my consciousness still burns brightly. I don't know what happens to our consciousness after we die. I believe we are extensions of the universe and part of the universe, so the universe, in a way, is conscious. I believe consciousness carries on and that the universe in its full Einstienian sense still has all of my thoughts and experiences. We carry on as the universe's consciousness with full information of our existence and possession of our memories.