I've had this thought for a while now, and I think it might be another reality test to add to the toolbox.
Disclaimer: I am still a new lucid dreamer, and don't even have 1 lucid dream under my belt. So I could be spouting complete twaddle.
the test is simple, you pay attention to the sounds around you. These can be subtle like your breathing, heartbeat, leaves rustling etc. Or, they can be sounds that are pretty obvious, or loud. After listening in, proceed to then cover your ears as much as you can, blocking your ability to hear. And, if it works, you should still be able to hear sounds just as well as without covering your ears.
The logic behind this test is the same as the nose pinch test. You are blocking your dream ears, not your real ears. Meaning, sound can still pass through.
I am curious on what your thoughts are on this.
Hi RL,
It's great to see you engaging your creative mind, it's exactly this kind of curious and exploratory thinking that is what makes a good lucid dreamer.
The nose pinch test works on a very specific principle, namely that your dreamt nose is not the source of your breathing -- which occurs via your unpinched physical nose that remains unpinched as you sleep. Breathing is a mostly automatic process during sleep.
However, external hearing is mostly shut-down during REM, so covering your dream ears would not work in the same way.
However, your idea would be a form of test under another principle. Insomuch that there is no true "sound" and no true "ears" in the dream, so covering the illusion of ears would not stop the hallucinatory possibly of sounds. Much in the same way that if you close your eyes in a dream, you generally shift to a new scene (because there is no external scene in the first place). I wouldn't rely on this idea as a standard reality test, as there are too many unknown variables (including expectations) that would make it very inconsistent.
But it might be a good way to test your observational skills and as an interesting experiment. Stay creative and curious, it's a great mindset!