I always do the nose-blow RC - I simply don’t trust the hand one.
That’s well thought because you can focus on trying to blow then instead of suspecting your hands to be normal. 
I actually used the nose one before but not very often. I suppose I could try using that one although i’m very used to checking my hands now.
I read somewhere that a reliable RC was to look at your hands and pull on one of your fingers… Apparently if your finger stretches to un-normal lengths, you’re dreaming. Don’t know about this one (never had an LD so can’t exactly test it out), but has anyone ever tried it before? Sorry if this has already been asked, I’m still a newbie and I’m trying to learn as much as I can! ^-^
Yes, stretching my finger is my favorite RC. I would prefer to do another one, cause it’s not very reliable, but I generally forget the others and think of this one cause it was the first RC that was tought to me. Anyhow, it’s very funny when it works. 
As for me, it works about 50% of the time.
I tried to do the nose RC in my LD a few nights ago, but my hand just went right through my nose, and my head, and the rest of me! 
Fortunately that worked just as well 
My hand just went right through me like air It felt so wierd 
my biggest problen in RS;s is that i just dont do them in my dream…
so howmany times a day do i have to do a rc to also do it in my dream? i do about 5 a day now
i worry that RCs might become so routine that you could glance at your hands or pull your finger whilst dreaming, not really think about it and not register anything strange. should i be concerned about this as a real possibility?
5 a day? That is far to few I believe. I’m doing them a little now and then (About 20-35 times a day) It has become a habbit of some sort.
Looking at my hands doesn’t work anymore.
For a while, I looked at my hands. Usually, they were blurry or another finger magically grew if I was dreaming, but soon, my dreams contained more realistic hands. I had to resort to counting my fingers and fingernails. Something was out of place for a while, but soon my dreams had my ACTUAL HANDS. Then, I had to look at my feet and count my toes…
Now, the only RCs that work for me are looking at digital clocks or observing my surroundings such as when I was dreaming and sitting in bed - I have solid-colored flags hanging from my top bunk and I had to take it down and look at it. Checkers appeared on it and I knew I was dreaming…
Hmm…perhaps I should start doing more RCs. Usually I only do them occasionally (maybe one or two a day). I’m going to start making it a habit and doing it often.
“i worry that RCs might become so routine that you could glance at your hands or pull your finger whilst dreaming, not really think about it and not register anything strange. should i be concerned about this as a real possibility?”
Yes, that is very much so a possibility. It’s happens much more than you might think. Look as what Basilus said about his favourite RC… “As for me, it works about 50% of the time.” What do you think happens the other 50% of the time? The RC doesn’t register, and the person does not achieve lucidity.
Reality checks should be used WITH lucid living, not as an alternative to lucid living. This will make them much more effective.
Good luck
Kind of late I know, but could somebody re-phrase this to a beginner please?
For example, you shouldn’t do a reality check while watching a basketball game and totally concentrating on the game, while ignoring the RC. The act of the RC is not enough. You have to be conscious of it, and you have to remain conscious even after the reality check, throughout the day- always observing and being aware of your surroundings.
That makes a lot more sense.
Thank you for your help.
Hey there people. As you can see I’m quite new here, but I have a question. I hope this isn’t obvious, but I don’t really have any other resources to get my information from. When you guys do a RC with numbers. Is it vital the that numbers be ones that regularly change? (a digital clock?) or would any numbers, say on a sign, found in a dream change when doing a RC?
Thanks,
Ted
So you look at a sign or something that has words or numbers on it and you look away and look back sometimes it doesn’t change the first time, do it again, the sign/numbers should change into something out of the ordinary like gibberish. Also another good RC is you pinching your nose and try to breath through it. If you can breath through it then your in a dream if you can’t then you’re probably awake.
I’ve just started doing RC and up to now I regularly look at my clock, mobile phone, my computer or my alarm clock to control the time. I wonder if this will work and manifest in my dreams. Up to now I have never looked at these item in my dreams as well as I haven’t done any of the other RC.
Do you think it is good to have several different items to do a RC or do you prefer one single? 
Furthermore, do you think the one with the time is reliable? (I think, that I actually have to answer this question by myself using it over a certain time. But maybe you have own experiences there.)
And one important question: If you do RC in real life, do you always answer with something like: “Hmm, I’ve done a RC and it failed. Well I’m not dreaming”.? Would be logical. I just worry the “I’m-not-dreaming” could repeat in my dream!
well, say in your mind , with conviction , and after doing the RC with concentration NO ; IM NNOT DREAMING… than veryfie it a second time , this should keep what you fear here from happening in 99,99% percent of the cases ( but what happens to some here is , that they know they are dreaming , but “dont care” so to say , which leads to many smacked heads upon weaking )
Just don’t say “I’m not dreaming” after you’ve done the RC because if you do then you’ll do the same when you’re dreaming.