What is a Reality Check

Learning How To Reality Check

One of the most powerful tools for inducing lucid dreams is the reality check. It is also the one method that requires the most commitment. This method often seems futile to those who have never experienced a lucid dream but a certain amount of faith has to be put in the advice offered by those who have more experience.

Where ever you are at this very moment as you are reading this book, just stop for a moment and ask yourself ‘Is this real or am I dreaming’.

Now, this may seem silly to a lot of people but I can assure you that I have failed to achieve many a lucid dream because I was convinced that my dream was real life and I chose not to bother doing a reality check.

Merely asking ‘is this real?’ is not enough to test your reality. You need to perform a test. The following paragraphs describe some ways of testing our reality.

The clock test

It’s a little known fact that when we dream, our short term memory becomes very poor indeed. A good example is the clock test.

Take a look at a clock or wristwatch now, either an analogue or digital clock will do. Now, look at the time on the clock and remember it. Look away from the clock for a couple of seconds and then check the time again.

You will notice that the time is exactly the same (except for a few seconds). In our dreams, when we check the clock for the second time, the time will be totally different! This then tells us that we are dreaming and hey presto we enter a lucid dream.

My own mother once asked me to have a look at her alarm clock for her because when she woke up during the night it would sometimes read a later time than when she woke in the morning.

False awakenings

What in fact was happening was during the night she was having what is known as a false awakening.

A false awakening is when we wake up in during the night but we are in fact still asleep and just dreaming we are awake. This happens a lot more than people realize.

I have several false awakenings per week. Usually I perform reality checks that can alert me to this false awakening and cause the onset of a lucid dream.

As it turns out, the alarm clock was perfectly o.k. but my mothers dream alarm clock was reading strange times.

When I pointed this out to her (she didn’t believe me at first) the next time it happened she looked away from the clock and then re-checked the time. The second time she checked, the time had changed. This immediately told her that she was dreaming, and so began the first of my mothers’ lucid dreams.

That method has worked several times for her.

An extension of this check is reading text. In our dreams just as with the clock, if you read something it often changes when you read it again.

You’d better read that sentence again just in case. Who knows, you may be dreaming!

Light switch test

Another way to check your reality is to test the light switches. In our dreams, light switches do not seem to work properly. In fact most gadgets seem to do odd things.

Phones don’t seem to work very well either. To test a light switch just go over and press the switch a few times. If the lights fail to operate properly, either your dreaming or somebody forgot to change the bulbs.

Pinched nose test

In my opinion this is by far the best reality check. If you consider that you will be checking you reality through the day it is the most convenient and the most reliable.

Simply pinch your nose and then try and breathe in with your mouth closed. As you’d expect, you can’t. In our dreams we can! If you can breathe in easily through a pinched nose then you must be dreaming.

How to use reality checks

The most effective way to use reality checks is to periodically throughout the day perform at least one reality check. Some people find it easier to set their watch to bleep on the hour and then perform the clock check for example.

Others find it easier to look for weirdness during the day like a flickering light, or a door jamming shut. As soon as you encounter one of these situations, ask yourself Is this real? and do a reality check.

The commitment involved with this method is actually doing the reality checks and also not just saying the words ‘Am I dreaming’ but actually meaning what you are asking yourself.

If you perform ten reality checks per day, eventually that habit will start to enter your dream world and this is when things really start happening. You will find yourself questioning your reality whilst you are dreaming and that is why reality checking is the single most powerful tool to assist you with lucid dreaming.

Choosing the right time

Believe it or not, choosing the right time when attempting to induce a lucid dream, can have an impact on your success rate. I have found that my ability to lucid dream goes down significantly if there is a lot of stress in my waking life at the time.

Ideally, choosing a stress free time will give optimum results. The other major cause of failure is to worry about not having a lucid dream too much. Many people become so preoccupied and wrapped up in their efforts to have a lucid dream that their situation becomes counter productive.

They worry more, which leads to less lucid dreaming and so a vicious circle forms. Lucid dreaming is a fun experience and some people loose sight of this. If you are constantly worrying about why you cannot have a lucid dream then you are trying too hard.

Usually when somebody says’ I’ve had enough, I’m not trying any more!’ they have a lucid dream a few nights later. The very action of choosing not to worry about it and letting go can cause one to happen.

Another powerful way to help things along is to discuss lucid dreaming with friends and people you know. It seems that the very action of talking about lucid dreaming will bring it to the fore in your mind and cause spontaneous lucid dreams.

You should have plenty to talk about with your newfound expertise on the subject!

Before we move onto the next chapter, review the last few steps over on the left menu. Over the next few weeks, start your dream journal and begin a daily routine of reality checking throughout your day. When you’re confident that your dream recall has improved and your reality checking is becoming second nature, move onto the next stage.

Leave a Comment at the Bottom of the Page. Older Archived Comments are Below…
Nose pinch = PERFECT!
Saturday, 18 June 2011 16:45
Star Wars Fangirl

Okay, so I found this website four days ago, and I’ve already had three lucid dreams. The first one was actually the night before I found this site, and was what prompted me to look lucid dreaming and how to do it intentionally up. It was only kind of lucid, because it faded quickly into a normal dream and all I did was go around and tell my friends in the dream “You don’t exist! This is just a dream! Hahaha!” Two days after I visited here, I had my second, but it didn’t last at all because I was napping in a car. Someone accidentally woke me up, and I thought, “I suppose I should do a reality check,” and did the nose pinch. When I realized I could still breathe, it jolted me awake because I got so excited. But just a few minutes ago, I woke up from my most lengthy and clear lucid dream yet. I’m still having trouble controlling certain things, like teleportation and what the characters say and do, but it got easier as the dream wore on. I kept doing the nose pinch thing through the whole dream to keep myself aware. But I ended up teleporting to two other locations from my house, and once I walked by a snack stand and took a Pepsi and chips without paying. In my mind I ordered the people working the stand not to do anything about it, then changed my mind, added security guards everywhere, and started an epic chase. I have to thank you for making lucid dreaming so EASY for me! I can’t wait to make this a regular part of my life.

Talking about it isn’t the only way
Tuesday, 14 June 2011 23:59
Star Wars Fangirl

I’m a writer and lately I’ve been plotting a novel that is entirely about lucid dreaming. It has many elements, locations, and events from dreams of my own (normal dreams(I have very vivid and off-the-wall normal dreams)). I don’t know if I’m going to ever actually write it, but I’m continuing to work on it anyway. Why? Well, up there you mentioned that talking about it can increase chances of success. Well, since I started working on this book, I’ve started having spontaneous lucid dreams. I’ve had two or three in the last month or two.

Also, the nose-pinching thing will probably work well for me. With no exceptions, I can always, always breathe underwater in my dreams. Once I was even breathing under-Jell-o (long story).

Sounds Awesome!
Tuesday, 17 May 2011 14:52
Sofia

HI!! I just found this site today (May 17, 2011), and am super excited to try to start lucid dreaming!!! But I’m just wondering, how often should you do reality checks in the day? And which ones work best? Also, if you do reality checks in the day then will you just do it automatically in the dream? Thanks!

A very strange dream
Sunday, 15 May 2011 03:30
Anonymous

One time I remember that was very strange was that when I was asleep I had a dream that I was having a lucid dream, but I was kind of watching myself have the lucid dream, and I couldn’t control hardly anything in the dream. That is the best way I can explain it. Has anybody else ever done this? I also have almost all of my dreams in third person which I really don’t like at all.

Still trying to control lucidity
Wednesday, 27 April 2011 12:38
Jason

I know what it is to lucid dream or astral project I’ve done both. I just want to induce them at will I’ll try to do a reality check habitually and see if it carries over into my dream state. Funny the dream state is I know how to move left or right in it I just don’t know where I am. Lol

reality checks
Sunday, 30 January 2011 05:36
begginer

instead of having different times to do reality checks why cant I have 4 times to do them every day

lucid dreaming for 3 decades -another reality check
Tuesday, 09 November 2010 04:09
Chris Sichra

One of the first reality checks I discovered when learning to lucid dream (at about the age of 16,) was that while dreaming i could read large signs with lettering but if i picked up books or tried to read smaller print the text/individual letters morphed into symbols or glyphs/shapes & I was unable to finish reading the sentence, the light switch test (or when no lights worked) was the second best indicator, the underwater test was the 3rd.
now that i’m in my 40′s I Lucid dream at least 5-6 days a week and am so sensitive to sensing the dream that reality checks are rarely needed anymore, I now get a “fuzzy” slightly dizzy sense or see colorful auras to indicate my dreamworld, also wondering if it may be a genetic thing? as it turns out my grandfather, his daughter (my mom)& me, all easily posses this talent, I also noticed alcohol or prescription depressants/painkillers i took post surgery completely inhibit my LD’s.
No doubt about it, sleep is extremely fun in my “world”.

Frustrated
Monday, 25 October 2010 02:22
edgar

well , i have been trying to have a lucid dream for the past 6 months ; i am doing at least 15 reality checks of multiple types , also doing the morning nap technique , i can recal 2-3 dreams per night/morning, yet when i am dreaming, it just never occurs to me that i should do a rc! very frustrating! also because my dream content is always different i dont have any fixed dream signs…all i know that my awareness just sits back and views the dream instead of participating…maybe my brain wired up in a weird way that doesnt allow LDs

the water check
Monday, 18 October 2010 01:05
draquel

if you are under water in a dream, you will automatically hold your breath, which can be strange if somebody is watching you sleep when you suddenly stop breathing. WHen you cannot hold your breath any linger, you instinctively inhale or exhale, when you continue to breathe while you are underwater, you will realize that you are dreaming.

l.d.
Sunday, 19 September 2010 22:00
aaa

I’ve just started learning this lucid dreaming technique. I remember three days ago I managed to do two successful reading reality tests. In the first one, a car sped past few really fast…I decided to do a reality check on its license plate. The first time I look at the plate, the last three chars were something like _J_; three chars with a J in the middle (I don’t remember the other two). I look away and re-read it…this time the second char is still J, the other two are blank, and the three chars are zigzagging. I realized immediately this is a dream, but then someone came and woke me up. Later that night I vaguely remember another reading test that worked. I ended up lucid dreaming for sure but I couldn’t control the dream too well. I was like flying…and I’m trying to reach the ground because I knew I was lucid (my first and only time so far). But I couldn’t do it..it was too hard to reach the ground, it was like as if gravity was working the other way.

Since then I have not had anymore success. I remember two nights ago in my dream I had two credit cards with me, and I realized both were different digits. When I woke up I’m like scolding myself…why didn’t I read the same credit card digits twice for? It would have been an excellent reality check. So now I tell myself, any time I come across a license plate or use my credit card….always do a reality check. I still can’t figure out what I did differently three nights ago to get lucid dreaming to work so well….but since I just started learning I figured it will take some time before I get good at this.

for (Somebody)
Saturday, 11 September 2010 07:06
Marshall

You said you were having troubles remembering your dreams? I’ve been working on training myself to have lucid dreams for a couple weeks now, and the technique I use to remember my dreams is to tell myself “Tonight I will remember my dreams,” from the point I lie down to when I fall asleep. I also think it’s important you don’t get distracted and let your mind wander in the process. Every time that has happened to me I haven’t been able to remember many of my dreams from that night. Also, if you are struggling to fall asleep try counting your breaths, or even sometimes I do both and tell myself to remember my dreams as I am counting my breaths.

I can say that I had a somewhat lucid dream last night. It was weird, I had a dream within a dream, and in my dream’s dream I was lucid, but only to ideas that I had while in my dream. Kind of a trippy first lucid dream, i guess…

fall backs?
Friday, 27 August 2010 06:20
Jesse

Is it possible to “fall back” into a regular dream??? I once had a string of nightmares for about a week so i went to bed one night muttering “it’s only a dream” when I actually did fall asleep i had my first lucid dream, it was like “hey cool I KNOW im in a dream!” but then I thought “ok might as well solve it!” (I didnt know about lucid dreaming at the time!) Then I no longer felt like I had control and the dream proceeded as any other… What do you think?

Dreaming of course
Saturday, 21 August 2010 23:19
Joe

I started my dream journal last night, and I made a section for previously remembered dreams I have had, and that came out to about 10 dreams that I specifically remembered, then last night I awoke from a couple of dreams and copied them down 3 to be exact, after officially waking up in the morning I remembered some more, I went to work and remember even more!I have 7 from one night of dreaming! How long does it ussually take to have a lucid dream, once I start reality checking and remember several dreams a night? A week, a month? And waking up to write dreams, makes me take forever to fall asleep again, When drifting off I think I hear voices or dreams I suppose but dont see any images.

Monday, 16 August 2010 17:20
Somebody

I recently had my first lucid dream- but it was accidental and it was only half of one. I got so excited I woke up. Oh well. That happened three nights ago and since then I have been doing research on lucid dreaming, mostly on this website. Now I do reality checks once every 10 minutes (not kidding!) but no matter what I can’t remember my dreams! This morning I didn’t move and I tried to let the dream come to me, but my head felt empty. Any suggestions?

Reality Check Question
Friday, 13 August 2010 08:00
Tanner

Ok, so I came upon this site yesterday, and while I have been doin quite a few reality checks throughout the day, and started a dream journal, I was wondering that since you are dreaming, and not already conscious, how would you preform a reality check, since you are already not in control of your dream self?

Really works!
Thursday, 05 August 2010 18:16
Gi

Ok wow, this site is officially awesome. I tried the techniques and reality checks etc for two weeks, and finally last night I had a lucid dream – the most strangest and exciting feeling ever!
I’m wondering if my dreamworld will get less hazy as I carry on with lucid dreaming? Because last night everything was quite hazy and I couldn’t make a few things appear/happen etc.

Reality Check
Tuesday, 27 July 2010 16:00
Justin

In my dreams, there are no flashing lights, in any form, nor do text i read alter. any idea whats going on?

Going to attempt it..
Monday, 28 June 2010 18:17
Adrian

All these stories of lucid dreams is getting me so excited, im gonna try to keep a journal and reality checks. Wish me luck1 xD

Almost
Friday, 11 June 2010 06:43
Me

I often have dreams where I get in a HEAP of trouble then wake up. I’m hoping that will happen without the waking up part.

Half lucid?
Monday, 07 June 2010 07:24
I’d rather not say.

Is it easy to tell if your dream is lucid? Once when I was going to see some movie the next day and couldn’t wait, I had a dream that I went to watch it. I was at the cinema but the movie kept being delayed and it didn’t make sense (because I hadn’t seen the movie) so I am not sure if I altered the movie or not but then I woke up.

Dream Journal
Tuesday, 06 April 2010 15:58
Jake

I used a dream journal for the first time today. I already remeber that dream better then most. I’m still working on using reality checks though, they havn’t entered my dreams yet.

Lucidity
Thursday, 14 January 2010 23:10
Sophie

I’ve done projects on this topic for the last three years, and in that time, I’ve only had one half lucid dream. I felt as though I was forcing myself to stay asleep part of the time, it was an awesome experience, but I’ll have to try harder to have them. I don’t usually reality check. Hopefully the new year brings some lucidity.

what I did and got succes
Friday, 11 December 2009 15:27
Adam

Well for the past 3 days I’ve done the reality check where you try and poke your finger through your hand every time I said “Am I dreaming?” and I had success, although for some reason in my dream I tried this *after I was lucid* and it didn’t work O_O

Hope
Friday, 04 December 2009 00:27
Anonoumouse

I can’t wait to try lucid dreaming. The problem is that i sometimes forget to do a reality check but i know that i have had lucid dreams before….or at least half lucid

nose pinch
Thursday, 06 August 2009 21:14
lucas

A while back, me and one of my friends were talking about lucid dreams, he told me about the nose pinching reality check, and i remember that i had a dream that same day that he told me, and i used the reality check. it worked, and i knew i was dreaming.. but sadly, i forgot i was dreaming at all in the next 2 min of noticing it… =(
uhwell, i can’t wait untill my next one!

Another one is biting your lip
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 19:20
Lucy

I had my 1st Lucid dream when I was 10, But it was as a cure of nightmares, I bit my lip and it feltt numb, so I knew I was dreaming, Then I woke up. I can’t wait to try this, I know it wont happen overnight, but I am so exited by the thought of having another lucid dream!

Lucidity and Remembering
Wednesday, 17 June 2009 19:02
Alex The Lucid Dreamer

I have always had many lucid dreams, usually I get myself in a lot of trouble and I say “Please be a dream, please be a dream, please be a – wait, is this a dream?” and then I experiance lucidity. I have been getting atleast one a night everyday know but I want them to be intentional, but I forget to do the checks. What should I do?

@ Anonymous – Well Done!!
Thursday, 11 June 2009 16:58
Andrew Strachan (Admin)

Congratulations on your first lucid dream(s). Having multiple lucid dreams back to back is quite common. The great thing is, you get many lucid dreams in one go. It looks like the ‘Pinch Nose’ technique is working well for you. It is my favorite reality check!

Nose Pinch and SUCCESS
Tuesday, 09 June 2009 03:49
Anonymous

I found this website a lil over a week ago, and last night I had my first intentional lucid dream. Not only did I have my 1st, but at the end of each, I woke up and fell back to sleep. Its crazy, b/c when I was lucid, I had the ability to wake up as well. Anyways, I ended up having 3 or so lucid dreams in one night!!!! crazy stuff. Each dream, i realized i was dreaming with the pinch nose breathe in technique it was crazy. Make sure to try it. Pce