In my sleep?

I've mentioned before that I do not cut with knives or anything... my form of self mutilation is actually very common but hard to diagnose unless it is admitted because it is so unnoticable. When my hands are dry I rip open the cracks - looks like they just cracked on their own. I rip at my scalp till it bleeds, but my hair is thick and nobody sees the scabs. Most of all I rip at the skin on my lips... this is my favorite because unless I rip to close to the skin in front or behind my lip the good feeling is maximum and the pain is minimum. Everyone just thinks I have chronic chapped lips.

Now that you have a background on my SI issues, here is my question. Anyone ever woken up with more cuts than you went to bed with? I've been good about leaving my lips and hands alone lately (still not behaving with my scalp but hey, its a start). Then, this morning I wake up with scabs all over my lips and new cuts on my hands. Its so weird. Its not like I've never done anything weird in my sleep before... I talk, curse, flail around, and when I was a teen I used to sleep-eat. Its weird... if I cut in my sleep, is this a SI issue or a sleep disorder? I'm really weirded out by this mornings findings.

i would really talk to a doctor about this....they might ask you to stay overnight for ...it may be you have a form of sleep apnea or something...a lack of oxygen.....i thought i have heard something like that ...but anyway...a doctor would definitly be the way to go...obiviously make sure he knows your history and all....plus a therapist would help also in a situation like this....good luck...i personally have never done it in my sleep...i have blacked out though ...and i walk around thinking i have one scab on my leg and when someone made me show them their legs i realized i was covered in them and didnt understand how i got them...((((((((((((lizardl8y))))))))

i've read of people self-harming in their sleep. i don't know if it would be a sleep issue or a self-harm issue though. it might be that in a dream you felt violent towards yourself and so scratched at yourself that way? I sometimes wonder if i actually do what I dream, if that makes sense.

Hmm I've never really woken up with it that bad in my sleep (just skratches etc on my arms), but i just wanted you to know that you're not alone in the lip picking thing. I tend to do that too pretty bad .... its about one of the only "really good" excuses i have for my SI ....

I also use to pick/make scabs on my knuckles too ....

hugs
Jacq

You know, I never realized until a few years ago that what I do constitutes as self mutilation at all. I always thought of SIs as taking a knife and cutting ones self... thought what I did was just a "nervous habit". I never even mentioned it to my pdoc until I was interviewed online for a book on OCD. The writer brought it up in a forum and I was like "wow, that's me!" I was stunned and told my pdoc who agreed. In fact, when the book came out and I was sent my copy I went through it and found the one quote in there from my interview was about my SI!

Anyway, my pdoc knows about all the other night behavior. My old roommate used to tell me I'd curse loudly in my sleep which is funny because I don't like profanity and rarely use it. I grew out of the sleep eating (thankfully) near the end of my teen years. Hopefully this damage I did to my lips and hands doesn't turn into a regular occurence! I have a job interview tomorrow and my lower lip looks like its been through a blender!