4 Ways to Improve Your Reality Checks for Lucid Dreaming
Quick Summary: Reality checks are essential for lucid dreaming success, but many practitioners only scratch the surface. Learn how to perform more effective reality checks and achieve deeper dream awareness with these expert tips.

1. Make It Authentic
It's important to really make sure you are thorough when doing reality checks. Don't just half heartedly muse to yourself, "Am I dreaming? Maybe. I wonder what's on TV tonight?"' Instead, really ask yourself, and genuinely question the authenticity of your reality.
This is especially important for beginners as it's easy to misunderstand exactly why you're doing reality checks. You have to truly doubt whether you're awake or asleep and look around you as well as looking down at your hands (if that's your chosen check) to work out whether you're dreaming.
You can use other tests at the same time, like asking questions about where you are, where you've come from, and where you were going. Although your brain tends to be a bit illogical when dreaming, even a few basic questions like asking who and where you are can have good results.
2. Change It Up
It can become ineffective to only do one certain type of check. If you always pinch your nose and try to breathe, sometimes your dreaming mind can start to ignore that reality test. Meanwhile, your questioning mindset can slip into autopilot mode.
By doing a different action every now and again, such as imagining you can float, or pushing your hand through a solid object, or checking your watch, you the reality check retains that novelty value that keeps it authentic.
3. Record What Works
When you perform a reality check in your dream, make a special note of it in your dream journal. I find that keeping this kind of record helps me recognize, over time, which reality checks work best for me.
We all dream a little differently; it's clear that dreaming is a personal and unique experience. So in doing this you'll gain a better understanding of how your dreaming mind works, and which reality checks are the most effective for you.
4. Combine The Physical and Mental
There are various levels of lucid dreams, ranging from being mildly aware that you're in a dream... to a godlike control and spiritual awareness. The idea behind accessing these various levels is to activate different parts of your brain.
I find you can achieve this by combining mental reality checks with physical ones. For instance, a physical reality check is trying to push your finger through your palm, whereas a mental one is looking around, identifying where you are and asking yourself "Would I be here in waking life?"
It's about questioning the world around you and actually, with enough practice, you can become lucid only using mental reality checks. This is how advanced lucid dreamers tend to operate. To that end, try to combine your most effective physical check with mental ones like:
- Who are the people around me? Do I know them?
- How did I get here, right now?
- What was I doing 10 minutes ago?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a reality check in lucid dreaming?
A reality check is a simple test you perform to determine whether you're awake or dreaming. Common methods include counting fingers, trying to breathe while pinching your nose, or checking a digital clock twice.
How often should I do reality checks?
For best results, perform 10-15 reality checks throughout the day, especially during situations that commonly appear in your dreams or when something unusual happens.