How to Know I’m Dreaming

There are times when we need to know we’re dreaming, especially when we’re having a nightmare. Maybe you want to check your dream state when you are searching for lucid dreams, or you want to know if you are awake or dreaming after a shock or an accident. Sometimes our dreams feel more real than waking life – but you can learn to determine when you are asleep and when you are awake.

Table of Contents

Look at the surrounding expressions

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Check during wake time if you are dreaming. Although it sounds ridiculous, the advice of lucid dream advocates is to check during the day to see if you’re dreaming. The reason is that if you make a habit of doing testing while awake, this habit will come into your dreams.

By doing this intentionally while awake, you can get in the habit of getting your brain to do one or more of the following reality tests: read a piece of paper, try moving an object, or check the clock every day. when you’re wondering if you’re dreaming. When you do this test and can’t do it “normally”, it signals that you are dreaming.
If you’re really awake, you might also want to consider why you should worry about whether you’re dreaming or awake. For example, have you taken drugs or been poisoned? Or are you having a concussion or an injury? If you are injured or in a state of mental or emotional drowsiness, try to call for medical help or signal someone for help.

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Perform a series of “real tests”. If you are dreaming, things will not seem normal. Reality tests create a familiar part of lucid dreaming through which you can actively enter into it. Many lucid dream aspirants prefer to perform realistic tests during waking hours as it increases their chances of achieving their goals. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Consider your surroundings. Things can be very illusory when appearing in the dream world, where distorted images are the norm, even the norm. If you are dreaming at home or a familiar place, try looking at common objects. Does everything seem different from the image you remembered the last time you saw it? For example, a window frame suddenly appears where the picture should be? Those are obvious signs of the dream state.

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Think about the people around you. If you find yourself talking to someone who passed away many years ago, you are probably dreaming. The reason why you dream that you talk to the deceased is a completely different field of dream interpretation, but their image here is a sign that you are dreaming. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Are you chatting with people you detest? You must be dreaming!
Did your grandfather suddenly have extraordinary powers or did your sister who was always gentle with you suddenly changed her voice to be sweet?
If you are in a familiar scene, do you recognize the people around you, or do everyone look different?
Is there someone who doesn’t exist in real life? For example, you have an 8-year-old sister named Phuong, when in fact you are an only child? Or are you standing next to a clone of yourself, a talking animal, a fictional character or a mythical creature? Then obviously you are dreaming.
Do the people you see do actions that in reality never happen? For example, they see everyday objects suddenly become extremely enchanting, they are not surprised to see you flying naturally, or they are frightened by something that is not scary but is calm when a volcano erupts. surge.
Do people not know things that they should know? For example, a geography teacher doesn’t know if Vietnam is on the map?
Does everyone know your name, even strangers? Similarly – do they know details that a stranger can’t (for example, someone you meet randomly on the street knows that you’ve always wanted a dog, even though you didn’t reveal it) that)?

Test yourself

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Test your fitness and capacity. If you can fly or can lift extremely heavy objects, you are obviously not awake. Be aware, however, that lucid dreaming is also an effective means of taking actions that can help you in the real world. Some healthcare professionals use this therapy to help post-traumatic patients visualize their body recovering. However, the following powers are signs of dreams. Do the following tests: ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Try levitation or floating. If you can, then you are in a dream state.
Can you speak as usual? If your voice is hoarse or doesn’t make any sounds, you’re most likely dreaming (it could also mean that you have laryngitis, but it’s probably a dream if you don’t have a sore throat). A voice that is too high-pitched, too low-pitched, or otherwise pronounced is also a sign of a dream.
Try jumping on the spot. Can you jump all the way to the moon or is your jump strangely long? Or do you jump straight up and fall to the ground?
Do you have the ability to move objects in a room or in an area without getting close to them?
Can you turn lights and electrical appliances on and off just by thinking? Note that the brightness barely changes when you turn the lights on and off in the dream state. Not all lucid dreaming advocates consider this to be a reliable test – some dreamers see no change when the lights are turned on and off.
Can you make objects appear in front of you with just a wish?
Can you breathe underwater or teleport? If so, then you must be dreaming.
Do you have supernatural powers for some reason but forget?
You seem completely normal, but the strange thing is in the location? For example, if you are walking the streets of Paris but get lost and suddenly find yourself in New York, then you are clearly dreaming.
Forgot how to do ordinary tasks? (such as suddenly unable to write his or her name, not even able to speak).
Are you doing something weird? Examples include trying to fix a leaky faucet with a cooking shovel, robbing a supermarket for no reason, or peeing in public for no reason. Also, no one seems to be surprised by your odd actions?
Similar to the dream of going to the toilet mentioned below, sometimes in the dream the person sees that he has urinated but still wants to go. In real life, this phenomenon could be a sign of a urinary tract infection, but if your health is still normal then this is a sign of a dream state.
Are you younger or older than your actual age?
Are you pregnant despite always using birth control, never even known to have sex?

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Examine everyday events. A good test of whether you are dreaming or awake is to notice if your waking habits are distorted or contrary to normal. For example, if you normally only turn the key once to open the door, but this time you have to turn it three times, then it is a sign that you are dreaming.

Distinguish between dream and reality

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Know the common signs. There are some very typical and common dream signs that indicate that you are dreaming rather than sitting in bed and awake like a flute. These dreams often exploit our unconscious fears, and most people have experienced versions of them at some point in their lives. However, scientists have found that humans do have the ability to control dreams and can use this technique to get rid of unwanted dreams. ^{[6] X Research Source}

Before you go to sleep, think about anything you want to dream about.
Imagine an image related to what you want to see in your dream.
Keep that image in mind as you fall asleep.

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Recognize dreams that include common physical elements. Dreams with physical sensations are very common and make you feel as if you are flying, falling or running. These dreams also often startle you awake. Some of the most common dreams of this kind are: ^{[7] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to source}

Fly freely.
Falling, but never reaching the bottom (although a sudden shock during the fall is enough to wake you up).
Being chased by a monster, a dangerous person, or a strange creature.
Paralyzed – something terrible is coming but you just sit or stay rooted to the spot because you can’t move. Sometimes you can move but very slowly.
Drowsy state; inability to see things clearly, often accompanied by a loss of control over thoughts and actions.
Loss of body parts; Especially the phenomenon of tooth loss is very common in dreams.
Time passed strangely. For example, a “day” feels like it only takes a few “minutes,” or it’s already 9 a.m. and it’s already dark.

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Think about how often you experience typical anxious dreams. In these dreams you often find yourself not accomplishing something, being naked or confused because you are unprepared, sometimes related to life events that have caused you anxiety. . Some of these dreams include: ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Get lost in a familiar place.
Not wearing clothing that covers the body in public (walking through the city center, sitting on a bus, in a classroom, etc.)
The normal mechanical devices that work well don’t work, especially when you need to get rid of something.
Take the test without knowing the answers to the questions. Sitting in the exam room without clothes and failing to do the test!
Dreaming of going to the toilet. This dream is very bad if you thought you were awake while sitting on the imaginary toilet but ended up wetting the bed in reality. And it’s not just children who encounter this! A dream is almost the same but it is not that you are worried, you just need to urinate and do not wet the bed but cannot find the toilet. While the need to pee is normal in real life, it can be a dream if something bizarre happens to stop you, such as the toilet being displayed in public.

Are you watching a TV show or movie, or reading a book? If so, check to see if everything makes sense. While some entertainment programs (like the movie “Misty Sponge”) can be a bit odd, they still make sense depending on the entertainment trends. Some fan-made stories based on original works are just a bunch of jumbles, but if an official work makes no sense, then you’re probably dreaming.

Does the plot make sense or is it just a series of random situations?
Are the characters behaving completely strangely and inexplicably? If it was a sign of a dream, it wouldn’t just be the author’s negligence. For example, if Spock has an emotional moment that’s not necessarily a sign of a dream, but if he changes his mood into a madness that everyone else finds normal, and everyone else is lost. control, then maybe it was a dream.
Is there any strange mix? (e.g. between Rugrats/Star Wars, King Arthur/Top Secret or Star Trek/Little Pony). Odd confusion can happen, but it could be a sign of a dream.
Is it a familiar story to you, but things turned out differently? (For example, you’re watching the movie “Finding Nemo” and there’s a scene where Marlin tries to reason with a barracuda.)
Are there events that are contrary to the plot? For example, if Hermione Granger has a wizard father, you are probably dreaming, because in the Harry Potter books neither of her parents knew anything about magic.
Is there something wrong with the tone of the piece? For example, talking animals are common in Animaniacs, but if this happens in the crime movie “The Skeletons,” you’re probably dreaming.

Consider where you are. Sometimes we are in a very absurd place in our dreams.

Do you remember how you got there? If you don’t have any mental problems and you can’t remember, you’re probably dreaming. Even if you know how you got there, it’s all just a dream if you don’t remember getting ready to go there or remember nothing when you wake up the next morning. Even if you get lost, can you remember how you got lost?
Is there a mix of locations? For example, if you can describe a place as “Like New York but like Chicago,” you are dreaming.
Are you in a place that doesn’t exist? (like Hogwarts or Narnia).
Are there things that are hard to believe are real or impossible? (e.g. the lawn is purple).
Can you move from place to place in a way that is impossible in real life? (For example, a building in Australia has a door leading to London).
Are you working somewhere other than your work or school, whether it’s during the holidays, have you graduated or gone to no school? And if you’re at school, are they teaching crazy things like how to fly?

Steps

Look at the surrounding expressions

Test yourself

Distinguish between dream and reality

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