in my experience, it is best to do 1-3 quality reality checks a day than many half-assed ones.
by that i mean...
1. stop everything, so that you have your undivided attention.
2. think back over the past 5-10 minutes...what were you just doing? are there any gaps? if so, you are likely dreaming.
3. survey your surroundings carefully, accepting and believing that it COULD be a dream, no matter how real it seems. this true skepticism is the key to reality checks, and the difference between a quality one, and a half-assed one.
if one gets in the habit of just hastily looking around and going "yeah, things look normal and real", and tap their finger on the opposing palm expecting nothing, they will do the same thing while dreaming.
4. do a reality check. the holding your nose and trying to breath is an excellent one. three deep attempts should do.
all said, a good RC should take at least two minutes. the main purpose is to train you mind to TRULY and COMPLETELY question your reality at any given time, regardless of how real it may appear. just think...one time you will do a RC in the most likelike environment, and it truly will be a dream
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your experience was definitely a lucid dream, albeit a short one..but don't worry, some people have short ones at first (i was one of them). just a matter of getting used to the feeling and learning how to prolong it.
and basically, the conditions for it were exactly what a WBTB seeks to reproduce...waking up after 5+ hours of sleep to re-engage your waking mind, and then going back to sleep.
later in the night, the REM (dreaming) periods get longer, which means often one re-enters dreaming sleep as soon as they fall asleep again. at the beginning of the night, this is not the case.
try waking up after 5-6 hours, and staying up for ten minutes. maybe read about lucid dreaming, or think about becoming lucid, and how you will stay calm and build on your first success....as you drift off to sleep say to yourself "the next thing i see will be a lucid dream", or whatever you feel is good.
congrats on your first success...it's only the beginning.
sweet dreams
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