The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

I Punched The Head Board

by Eric Martin
(Kansas)

One night I was dreaming that this guy and taken my candy bar right from my hand and proceeded to eat it right in front of me. After telling him to give it back a couple time with no avail, I punched him (the headboard) really hard. I may have been just reaching for the candy bar. Not sure. But I had blood stains on the sheets and I had broken the skin on my fingers from hitting it so hard. I also scared my wife to death. I remember telling her sorry right after it happened as I fell back to sleep.

Comments for I Punched The Head Board

Click here to add your own comments

Mar 22, 2014
Wow very interesting NEW
by: Jonathan

I've also had very quick dreams like this one and afterwards I felt as if I was trying to tell myself something thru the dream. Are you often confrontational or is fighting of significance in your life? My interpretation of your dream is this: you are prone to attack first and ask questions later you prefer to be the aggressor rather than be taken advantage of even if you do not express this in your interactions day to day with people it has become a deep seeded sub conscious desire that you will now associate with the pain of hitting the head board. Maybe your brain was making a check and balance for your confrontational side to limit your aggression . What do you think about this? Please let me know

Aug 04, 2015
me too! NEW
by: Tara

A few years ago, I did the same thing. I was dreaming there was a man outside the grocery store with a gun and he was following me to my car. In my dream, I turned around and punched him. In my bed, I flipped over and punched the headboard. My hand was swollen and purple the next day and I had to get an x-ray.

Aug 27, 2015
Did the same thing last night NEW
by: Anonymous

Terrified the hell out of my wife, no clue what I was dreaming about but like a flash I sunk a serious punch into the headboard, not the first time it's happened. Sometimes I kick my wife in my sleep, she's now getting onto it and knows the signs that it's starting and she'll wake me before it ramps up, sometimes she just gets out of bed and sleeps elsewhere so she doesn't get hurt. Other nights I swear and yell and blabber on at the top of my lungs. Weird thing it is, be better if it just went away.

Sep 10, 2015
broken finger NEW
by: Anonymous

In February this year, I stayed with friends at a hotel for 2 nights. Fortunately I had my own bed which was pushed against a wall. I had a work related dream and punched the wall. I fractured my ringer in two places. Still hurts at times.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Stories of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder.




Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?


A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.