Fighting In Your Sleep
By Brian
@wolfie34 (26771)
United Kingdom
March 24, 2008 5:59pm CST
I know it's common to talk whilst you are sleeping as well as being common to sleep walk but has anyone actually started fighting in their sleep?
Well that's exactly what my friends told me I was doing last night, I was sharing a room with two of my friends at my retreat, Friday night and Saturday night I had a restful night and I am always asking people if I snore and they say No I don't because I am always worried when sleeping with someone if I snore, I find that very embarrassing snoring
But this morning my two friends were really worried about me because in the middle of the night I started to wave my arms around as thought I was trying to fight someone, and they said I actually went to get up and my arms were everywhere and I sat up and flung my legs out as though I was kicking out, both of them said it not just one and I started to groan in my sleep too
As far as I'm concerned this has never happened before, I know I sleep on my own and prefer it that way but whenever I share a room when I go away no one has ever said I snored or did something as crazy as start fighting in my sleep
Any ideas? It seems so weird? Fighting and waving my arms around
I was away on holiday, and it only happened last night and not the two other nights I was away
Weird eh?
Explanations or suggestions greatly received
Have you ever been told you were seen fighting in your sleep or doing odd things when you were sleeping and totally oblivious, unless someone told you you wouldn't have known anything about your weird sleeping activities
4 people like this
16 responses
@mummymo (23706)
•
24 Mar 08
Well sweety it seems we really are related! I don't know why we do it but I used to do this a lot too! It could be worse - I once gave David a black eye in my sleep and never knew anything about it til he told me the next morning! Honest! I seemingly punched him in the face, swore at him and turned around in bed, all whilst sound asleep! I know I have felt like punching him at times over the years but I have no idea why I did do it that time! xxx
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
24 Mar 08
That is quite strange, because normally your brain paralyzes you so you do not act out things in your dreams. I remember having a dream once where someone had taken my daughter and I was frantic in my dream and I was trying to scream to my hubby and I was trying to chase after them to get to my daughter and I must have been that frantic that I was partially awake and I remember that I could not move it was like something was holding me down and even when I woke up fully I was in that much of a state that I could not move for a good couple of minutes or even make a sound, it was very very strange. So it is odd to be able to act out in your sleep.
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
12 Apr 08
Thank you for BR, I have only just found it in my email box, I am having a good clean out of it, and it is taking me ages!
@weemam (13372)
•
24 Mar 08
I always talk in my sleep pal , I have nightmares too and Jim has to waken me up as I scream , I have told my neighbours not to worry as he isn't trying to murder me :) , the talking I would expect lol as I talk all day sow why not at night too, :) :) xx
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
26 Mar 08
Seems like you are finding life quite traumatic, pal. 
I don't think I fight or wave my arms around when I sleep.
But my dreams (damn, they are exciting enough to fit a book) all have a common theme.
I didn't realize this myself until I told a friend some of my many exciting dreams. She said that it seems that I am always trapped in the dream and trying to escape. You won't realize it is a dream of me being trapped unless you know what you are looking for. And most dreams, maybe 70-80% runs along this theme. For whatever good it does, I do manage to escape most of the times.
I don't think I fight or wave my arms around when I sleep.
But my dreams (damn, they are exciting enough to fit a book) all have a common theme.
I didn't realize this myself until I told a friend some of my many exciting dreams. She said that it seems that I am always trapped in the dream and trying to escape. You won't realize it is a dream of me being trapped unless you know what you are looking for. And most dreams, maybe 70-80% runs along this theme. For whatever good it does, I do manage to escape most of the times.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
27 Mar 08
No, I have never had fighting in my sleep because I do not have such an impression and no one has ever told me about that, either. hehe.
I think that my dear wolfie could have something in mind that does not make you happy that it came to your dream as a way of trying to get it solved? Could it be so, please? Thanks.
@tjades (3591)
• Jamaica
25 Mar 08
No this has never happened to me but it is not strange to me either. Two friends of mine (they are sisters) related to me that there was a time when they went somewhere together with a group and the younger of the two got up one night and attacked the older sister.
I do not remember the full story as it was related to me but others who were there with the sisters said it was a weird and frightful night. It took the older sister sometime to get the youger on to snap out of it as she was in a real attack mode. The others say that they were awakened by the commotion and were scared that maybe someone had gained entry to the house and was attacking the poeple in that room so some locked themselves away in their room and at least one person hid in the bathroom. They did try calling the guys from the group who had gone clubbing to tell them that something was wrong.
The younger sister who had the experience similar to yours says that she does not know what happened as she went straight back to sleep. After snapping out of that mode she simply looked at those who had gathered in the room asked them what was it and went back to sleep. Pretty weird uh?
As far as I know it has not happened since then. I have no suggestions to give but I do hope you'll get something useful. Just know that it happens and your not alone. Hopefully like my friend it will not happen again.
@nannacroc (4049)
•
25 Mar 08
I haven't done this but my husband has. He couldn't remember the dream but he was kicking and fighting in his sleep. It's usually when his depression is at a turning point, going from the low to the high.
@mbs730 (2147)
• Canada
25 Mar 08
Yeah Gemini Rose is right, when you are in REM mode your brain secretes a hormone to paralyze you so you don't act out your dreams. And if you do wake up while in REM mode you'll experience sleep paralysis, in fact I wrote something about on that here once. If this continues you may have to get a sleep study done. There may be some meds to help stop this from happening.
@LittleMel (8742)
• Canada
25 Mar 08
No nobody ever said I did that, but hubby caught me screaming a couple of times and they were nightmares. I read some information onlike and follow instructions since then he never caught me screaming again. I woke up instead of letting fear got to me. I don't know what happened in your case though, but I remember reading about that some time ago. A lady hit and kicked her husband while they were both asleep. It turned out they had problems need talking about and she didn't realize she had these problems, but subconscious mind worked differently.
@enchantedleppard (1541)
• United States
25 Mar 08
Yes, I have struck out during my sleep before, striking my cat, my boyfriend, the end table... i dont know what I was dreaming about but i had to be fighting. I snore when I'm really tired too. When I was younger I spoke in a foreign language alot. No one could understand me and everyone told me about it! I always claim I dont snore and I dont talk in my sleep.
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
25 Mar 08
I do not have any explanations. but that is troublesome. my friend's husband is sometimes violent during his sleep so they no longer share the same room -
He does have some serious medical conditions which involve pressure on the brain, maybe it has something to do with that.
@muscare (3068)
• Australia
25 Mar 08
I have lashed out several times, twice with a closed fist, one which sent the bedside lamp flying, and once with an open hand, which connected with my wifes side. Thankfully, in real life, I hadn't hit as hard as in the dream, but my wife was still less than impressed at being woken in that way, LOL!
@novataylor (6570)
• United States
26 Mar 08
I do this, Wolfie. My poor hubby. I've kicked, hit, punched, pinched, hollered, screamed, cried, laughed, and you name it, all in my sleep. Sleeping with me is an adventure, in so many ways, darlin, not just in the one you might think. And most of it, I have no recollection of at all, blissfully ignorant of my antics. I have no idea how to change this or I surely would. I can't tell you the guilt I suffer on so many mornings when my husband is bleary eyed from lack of sleep due to my lashing out in my dreams, and him getting the brunt of it all. Poor baby. He's such a love, and doesn't deserve the brutality he suffers under my ministrations. I'm just so glad that he still sleeps with me at all, but he can't sleep without me, it seems, so I think I'm safe. Good luck with this, Wolfie. I don't think that there's a thing you can do about it. I even take meds at night to help me sleep, and they don't make any difference in how active I am - it just depends on the dreams, I guess, and they are crazy. You need to find someone, and you WILL, who will put up with it because they love you so much, like my hubs is with me. I thank my lucky stars for him. XXXXXXX
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
25 Mar 08
NO...I do snore but no fighting or kicking going on here. My granddaughter however slept with me this weekend and she grinds her teeth...and giggles in her sleep. All I had to do was to touch her cheek and she quit grinding the teeth...you must have been having a dream of some sort that caused you to lash out...do you remember if you had a dream?
