I’ve tried this one. There are times when I’ll try this in a dream and stop breathing out of panic. Then there are also times when I plug my nose IRL and it almost feels like I’m breathing (my lungs go through the motion without taking in air etc. even though they are not, and it becomes hard for me to tell the difference.) In either case, I have to either pass out or wake up, in which case I could have been thrown into another dream.
The reality check shouldn’t take more than about a second or two. I find it way more comfortable to rest my thumb on the side of my index finger and using them to lightly close my nostrils than actually plugging my nose in the cartoonish way. This way, when you try to breathe in, you can use your nose “collapsing” as an indicator, which isn’t nearly as uncomfortable as your upper airway collapsing because you plugged your nose, and which you’ll probably notice even before you feel your diaphragm moving.
If you practice this in your waking life (especially right after you notice something strange), you increase the likelihood of doing it in a dream. Enjoy lucid dreaming!
I’ve been doing reality checks for a while. Sometimes I can lucid dream and sometimes not, but it’s inconsistent and seems like something else prompts it- not me.
Interesting. For me, lucid dreams are few and far between nowadays, thought the trigger is consistently me noticing something unusual and getting the idea to perform the reality check. Empirically, I can increase the probability of arriving at that idea by performing reality checks more frequently in my waking life.
Here’s a bulletproof reality check to determine if you’re dreaming: plug your nose/nostrils, and then try to breathe through your nose.
If you can still breathe through your nose, you’re certainly dreaming. It’s a very unique sensation.
I’ve tried this one. There are times when I’ll try this in a dream and stop breathing out of panic. Then there are also times when I plug my nose IRL and it almost feels like I’m breathing (my lungs go through the motion without taking in air etc. even though they are not, and it becomes hard for me to tell the difference.) In either case, I have to either pass out or wake up, in which case I could have been thrown into another dream.
The reality check shouldn’t take more than about a second or two. I find it way more comfortable to rest my thumb on the side of my index finger and using them to lightly close my nostrils than actually plugging my nose in the cartoonish way. This way, when you try to breathe in, you can use your nose “collapsing” as an indicator, which isn’t nearly as uncomfortable as your upper airway collapsing because you plugged your nose, and which you’ll probably notice even before you feel your diaphragm moving.
If I can keep my presence of mind to do this in a dream, instead of dreaming an excuse not to, then I’ll try.
If you practice this in your waking life (especially right after you notice something strange), you increase the likelihood of doing it in a dream. Enjoy lucid dreaming!
I’ve been doing reality checks for a while. Sometimes I can lucid dream and sometimes not, but it’s inconsistent and seems like something else prompts it- not me.
Interesting. For me, lucid dreams are few and far between nowadays, thought the trigger is consistently me noticing something unusual and getting the idea to perform the reality check. Empirically, I can increase the probability of arriving at that idea by performing reality checks more frequently in my waking life.