Last night before I went to sleep, I began watching a few videos on lucid dreaming. Well the whole time I was asleep there were a few hints but I didn't actually realize I was dreaming during the process. When I woke up, I could recall a time that I remember I was having a hard time breathing for a little bit, and then I remember a dream where someone offered me medicine for my nose being stopped up? Was this sleep paralysis? I can still remember how it felt but during my sleep it did not effect me, I just knew that it was hard to breathe. My dream later went on to a crazy one, but I woke up around 8 am. and went back to sleep for an hour. In the dream that occured during that time, I remember doing a reality check, which I thought was really good that I remembered in my dream to do a reality check, BUT I actually felt that I wasn't dreaming because the dream that went on looked exactly like my house and back yard. But of course, it got a little crazy in the end and I woke up. I could not control it and I did not know I was in a dream at the time. Can you answer my question on sleep paralysis and give some tips on how I can catch myself in a dream? Thanks!!