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.