Crazy dream

[dave_in_cw]

Last night I dreamt I was having a fight with someone and so we started to punch and grapple with each other. This guy in my dream was holding on to my arm so I grabbed on to his too and squeezed as hard as I could. Then I woke up as my arm was hurting me so much. I had scratched the skin open and there was some blood. Now there is a scab and bruising on my forearm with scratch marks. Am I going bonkers? I thought it was most unlikely to actually move muscles in response to a dream.

[katejess]

Dave (hope you don't mind me abbreviating your name), my husband (also Dave) has had some pretty odd dreams which have caused him to do some strange things in his sleep.

One night in particular, I was fast asleep, when Dave put his hand on my hip and started pushing really hard. After initially wondering what the hell he was up to, I realised he was using me as leverage to haul himself into a standing position on the bed.

Odd enough you might think, until he started banging (and I mean hammering like a mad man) on the ceiling. Then he started swearing loudly at the ceiling. "Effing door, why the eff won't you open!"

This went on for a while but eventually he calmed down and got back into bed.

Of course, by now, I was a gibbering wreck on the edge of the bed. But once he climbed back under the covers and started snoring again, I was finally able to relax.

The next morning, when I asked him what the hell he thought he was doing during the night, he answered that he had been dreaming that he was stuck in a cellar or basement and the only way out was through a trap door that wouldn't open.

So, in answer to your question about muscles moving in response to dreams, it does seem that they can make you physically move about. I just hope you were alone in the bed when you had your dream otherwise imagine what bruises your partner might be sporting this morning!

[dave_in_cw]

Thanks Kate. I was actually concerned about exactly that. I have recently started seeing a a girl and although she's from Essex, I don't think she'd appreciate that kind of rough handling between the sheets. I suppose though, that she'd wake up and stop it before it got to the drawing blood stage. I just find it a bit strange that I could actually cause bodily harm to myself in my sleep, let alone someone else.

[woofgang]

As I understand it, for most of us, most of the time, the body generates a paralysed while asleep kind of thing (not entirely obviously or we'd suffocate). This is to prevent injury etcet, although lots of us have experienced activity while asleep, walking, talking and so on. As a child I once jumped out of my (top) bunk bed, dreaming that I was parachuting. Sleep walking appears to be more common in children than adults and worse during times of stress. People who find it a real problem can ask to be referred to a sleep disorders clinic. I understand that treatment with small doses of sedative to reinforce the body's natural muscle relaxants can help in recurring cases. Short answer is you are not bonkers and sleep activity is actually quite common, although it sounds as though you wre particularly unlucky!

[archbishop]

Dave - surely you should know better. Never go to sleep next to an Essex girl, you might not wake up. What were you drinking etc the night before?

[Lennon]

Although I can't provide any reason why this happened, I just thought I'd let you know you're not alone. There was a programme on this a while ago and there was a couple went through the same thing where the guy would do physical things in his sleep like grab her arm and stuff. I personally talk in my sleep and normally its gibberish or sometimes its normal. Once I apparently drew my legs up and starting banging my feet on the bed whilst rocking and whispering 'nodody knows, they don't understand, nobody knows' over and over again. You think you've got problems? :) Luckily my boyfriend understands I'm not psycho, that is until my head spins 360 degress and my vomit is green! :)

[gazzawazza]

I always thought that moving due to dreams was quite common, surely I'm not the only one who dreams they're walking along then suddenly trips? I also put my arms out to stop myself falling, usually waking myself up in the process... What is more frightening is the dreaded night paralysis, now that is scarey!