But then syntax highlighting is off until you close and reload it, which is annoying. I usually have a terminal open to the project anyway so I just use 'touch' to create the file I want.
As a lucid dreamer, the difference is pretty obvious. A memory of a dream feels like just that, a dream. Remembering a lucid dream feels more like a memory from everyday life- I remember actually being 'there'.
Waking up directly after a lucid dream makes it even more apparent, to transition from the dream-world into the real world with no apparent loss of consciousness in between.