Thinking Nightmares Are Cause For Bruises??

[mamachick]

I never thought about it until this thread, but I occassionally have bruises that I dont know how I got. I keep very busy and have big dogs and always assume I just did not remember bumping into something or from the dogs. I will be more aware.

 

[EverOnly358]

I get bruises all the time that I can't explain. I've always explained it as "I bruise easily." I dunno. I'm starting to realize it's more than that. I know, when I get super upset and self-harm, it's usually hitting my thighs over and over again (used to be all over... but y'know, bruises on my thighs are easiest to cover). I'm wondering... when I don't do that... am I doing something else, and not noticing, either in my sleep or just in the course of the day, to put bruises on my body? (My trauma occurred about once a month, my dad beat me... so if I had new bruises on my body, I knew I was safe (kinda sorta) for awhile. Now I'm so messed up, I actually *like* to see bruises on my body, it makes me feel safe. God! I'm messed up.)

I'm really sorry if this is oversharing. I can never figure out the line between too much information or providing the information because it may help someone.

 

[shell]

After speaking about a really violent physical event of abuse in therapy, I woke the next morning and it was as if I was reliving the pain and muscle soreness that related to that event, in those exact areas of my body. As the damage when I was a young child was to my back, and back of legs, I not sure if I was bruised, but I struggled to walk the pain was so bad. It left just as mysteriously four days later.

I often relive the pain, but don't always have the memory to go with what I am experiencing.

I got to say for a while, it really put me off talking in therapy because I because afraid it would happen again.

 

[FindingMyself88]

Its so weird how our body remembers the pain just as much if not more than we allow our minds too. I hate that we all have been through this, but atleast now I feel reassured that I'm not crazy or alone in this...

 

[Jenfa]

When I took benzos, I had bruises up and down my legs all the time. I think some meds can thin your blood to the point where it doesn't take much to bruise really easily. I seriously looked like someone gave me a flogging at one point. It was summer and I had to wear pants and I was dying with the heat. BUT that being said, I also realized that I kick the hell out of myself, which is sort of like leg-ringing but really bad. Plus, we tend to touch and pick at areas that we have "body memory". My legs are the vehicle that get me away from the thing in the dream, or are supposed to. When they don't, which is 90% of the time, I wake up like that. But hell no you are not alone. I'm really glad I found this post. Good luck!

 

[kuuipo]

Are you still waking up with injuries, Findingmyself88? There is a parasomnia called RBD (REM Behavior Disorder), in which the atrophy and paralysis that the body should be experiencing to rest during REM state is somehow impeded, so the person is able to physically act out their dreams and nightmares, potentially harming themselves or their bed partner.

If you feel that you might have this disorder, you should see a sleep specialist who can perform an overnight sleep study. There are several known effective treatments for this parasomnia, all worth discussing with your doctor.

 

[Kas_Can_Fly]

Do get bruises over night that are random and most certainly caused by movement in my sleep. But I am single and don't share a room with anyone and just to one week I woke up with finger print shaped bruises that ran the shapes of hands on my legs too. They couldn't be my own and prints at their location/position/angle and that they are bigger than mine. Plus as stated elsewhere in the thread, that it heals faster but it still hurts like a bruise. But thanks for the if because this seems helpful for other things too.