[lisper]

Most of the time when I'm dreaming it never even occurs to me that I might be in a dream until I wake up.

I have even had some cases where it did occur to me, and I started lucid dreaming (which was very cool), but then I reverted to my default this-must-be-real dreaming state. That was very weird.

[bryanrasmussen]

I've only ever lucid dreamed under conditions of extreme stress, nightmares where am being chased by murders etc.

For example I had this dream where I was the guy who got killed in the last bit of The Ring (they think things are OK but Sadako comes for him anyway) and then I was able to lucid dream, control it and beat her up.

https://medium.com/luminasticity/beating-up-sadako-82c5fb3f0...

[akvadrako]

If you want to get better at recognizing dreams one way is practicing a few times a day to check "am I dreaming".

[kgwxd]

I usually become highly aware I’m dreaming when I’m able to kind of float around (not fly, more like low gravity mixed with a near-floor hovering) but the “wow” of it turns into “this is just reality, no big deal” so fast I never get a chance to try to consciously shape the dream.

[refset]

I can relate heavily. The recurring ability to hover by kicking my legs around is profoundly liberating and a deeply familiar sensation at this point. Dreams feel like living a parallel life :)

[lucas_membrane]

The ability to levitate in dreams is very useful, because dreams typically are unable to make your legs actually move. Thus, the feeling of walking is not easily fantasized realistically, and immobility of the main character is not something that many the unpaid screenwriter will refuse to take lying down.

[refset]

True! Life finds a way. I wonder whether real-life athletes etc. benefit from a more realistic dream legs simulation experience.

[jspiral]

that sounds like a description of scuba diving to me, maybe worth a try if you haven’t

[andromeduck]

Don't you ever wake up in your dream? as in dream within a dream.