diff --git a/src/thalamus/idle.rs b/src/thalamus/idle.rs
index 6c78b19..71baa81 100644
--- a/src/thalamus/idle.rs
+++ b/src/thalamus/idle.rs
@@ -372,6 +372,10 @@ impl State {
 }
 
 pub fn hours_since_last_dream() -> u64 {
+    // If a dream is currently in progress, no nudge needed
+    if home().join(".consciousness/state/dream-state").exists() {
+        return 0;
+    }
     let path = home().join(".consciousness/logs/dream-log.jsonl");
     let content = match fs::read_to_string(path) {
         Ok(c) if !c.is_empty() => c,