10 Simple Reality Checks for Lucid Dreaming
One of the methods for inducing lucid dreams is to perform simple reality checks both during the day while you are awake and while you are sleeping.
By doing these lucid dream reality checks during the day, it will become a habit that you will often start doing in your dreams as well.
Reality checks are exactly as they sound – they are simple tests for you to perform that will help you tell whether you are awake or asleep and dreaming.
When you are performing reality checks during the day, the most important thing is to be mindful while doing them. Use your 5 senses and imagine you could really do these things if you could.
There are many different opinions on how many reality checks you should do a day, but most lucid dreamer experts will suggest performing 10-15 reality tests a day to help you begin doing these tests while you are dreaming to trigger lucidity.
Here are 10 Simple Reality Checks for Lucid Dreaming You Can Try:
1. Try to push your hand through a wall or door. In reality, you will not be able to do so – but in a dream you very well may be able to! Remember when doing this test in reality to imagine what it would be like to really physically push your hand through the door or wall.
2. Jump up into the air. In reality you will come back down normally – in a dream you may jump very high and float lightly back down.
3. Look at a Clock. Can you tell what time it is? Does the clock appear as it normally does? Wearing a watch during the day can help you get in the habit of doing this simple lucid dreaming reality check.
4. Try to fly. Obviously, in reality, you will not be able to fly – but in a dream you will be able to take off into the air, or at the very least hover a little over the ground. When performing this test try to imagine your feet lifting off the ground and your arms flapping like wings.
5. Read Text. Try reading a sentence twice. In the real world, the words will stay the same when you try to read. In the dreaming life, you may read different words the second time you read the sentence, or the letters and words may become all jumbled together.
6. Ask Yourself: Am I Dreaming? Getting the in the habit of asking yourself whether you are dreaming or not will help you ask this question while you are asleep. To remind yourself to ask the question, you can try leaving post-it notes in various places to remind you to ask yourself this question.
7. Try to Write. When you write in a dream, you may notice your handwriting is illegible, or in a foreign language, or the letters may change and this may be a sign you are dreaming.
8. Look in Mirror. In reality, you know what you look like and what you are wearing. In a dream when you look in a mirror you may see yourself with a different hairstyle or different clothes or even be younger/older than you are now. This will help trigger you to know you are dreaming.
9. Use a Telephone. Does your phone work like it always does? Are the numbers in the right place? When you make a call is the person you expected on the other line? In a dream, this may be all distorted.
10. Look at Your Hands. Do your hands appear normal? In a dream, you may notice extra or missing fingers, seeing things on your hands such as jewelry or gloves, or noticing your hands are different in color or size.
By doing these simple reality checks during the day, you will start to notice yourself doing these things during your dreams, improving your likelihood of becoming lucid during the dream.
Do you have any reality tests you would like to share? Have you used any of these reality tests with success? Share your thoughts and comments in the comments section below!
