Accidentally punching/uppercutting yourself
 

Has this been observed in the literature - cases of people causing concussions from punching your own head?


I accidentally uppercutted myself in the chin/jaw - with either my fist or the side of the hand - after a bad dream. I'm unsure if it was in a 'punching' motion or a hammer fist strike.

As I was awaking, it appeared that I tossed in bed right after the nightmare and afterwards uppercutted myself in the chin as I was attempting to pull the covers upward. It was a really bad dream, probably my worst in years, and so my hand motion was very quick.

I was not in a flat lying down position and my body was either at around a 45 degree angle or was upright at the time of the strike. Since I was half-asleep I of course didn't anticipate it coming.

My jaw was probably sore for about 20 minutes; no damage to the teeth. Moderate headache still throughout the day and mild discomfort while chewing food.


What kind of force would an episode of this likely generate? I'm around 150 lbs, male. No LOC and remember both the dream and the events after the strike.

Bro I think this is nothing, it’s happened to me many times. Actually happened to me this morning and yah it sucks and definitely made me worry.

I mean maybe someone more knowledgeable can answer but I don’t think you can generate very much force with just your arm while laying down and hitting yourself accidentally. It’s nothing compared to a punch in a an actual fight.

I definitely don’t think there’s gonna be any literature published on this lol. It’s the type o problem only people in our very specific condition with our very specific type of health anxiety would ever worry about and that group of people is probably relatively very small.

That's interesting if it's happened multiple times to others. I wasn't lying down flat on my back and as mentioned was between 45 degrees and upright in a lying or seated position on the bed since I'd just tossed from a bad nightmare. From what I remember I was attempting to pull the the cover upward very quickly and forcefully. I screamed and woke my partner up. I'm unsure if I dropped my head into the punch/strike or what, but it caught me cleanly in the jaw.

So I may have done a 'sit up' into the punch or dropped my head downward into it. The angle I'm not quite as clear on since it was the moment I woke up, but I know my back wasn't completely flat to the bed.

I’m really no expert but your probably ok, I think you would have really felt it if it was hard enough to do damage

There is no way a self hit can have the momentum and speed necessary to be injurious.

A boxer trains to throw a damaging punch. Only the best can do it.