Shoutout to my piece of shit brain that figured out that trick and decided to simulate accurate nose pinching physics.

But if you're in control enough to pinch and inhale, are you asleep enough to be really dreaming? Or is your mind just wandering half-awake?

Personally, if I can get to "I think/hope this is a dream" I'm already starting to wake up.

And it's usually because I suddenly recognize a familiar dream-trope, like "the reason I'm wandering this disgusting public bathroom looking for a toilet that's not overflowing with X-crements is because I need to wake up and go pee."

Or the one where I know I'm drowning and I can only hope it's a dream because I'm trapped and the only way out is to die and wake up gasping.

But I can't change my actions in the dream itself unless I'm already coming to the end of the natural sleep cycle, and then it's basically do I wrap this up or extend it a little?

Or sometimes I haven't fully fallen asleep and maybe I realize this scenario is at a beach or on a cruise ship or in a dock house or a half-lit indoor pool and I'm like, NOPE!

But pinch my nose, check my watch, look in a mirror? I might as well try to run.