Sleep picking? | SkinPick.com

31 Dec, 2009, by xKatharine

This may sound a little odd, but I actually wake myself up at night picking. I definitely do it in my sleep, and I wake up at random times with my hand at my head and my scalp bleeding. I do it a lot during the day, and I think that it's such a habit that I now do it in my sleep. It's really affecting the rest that I get. I tried to wear gloves, but they would always come off. I tried the same thing with a hat and that always came off too. One night I used really strong tape and taped gloves to my hands but in the night, the urge was so strong, I woke up and practically tore the gloves off and proceeded to pick for the rest of the night without sleep. Anyone else have this problem??

Online Test For Skin Picking Disorder

Find Out The Severity of Your Symptoms With This Free Online Diagnostic Tool

Take The Test

sls December 31, 2009

I constantly find myself waking up in the middle of the night with new open sores (mosty on my scalp but also in other areas) and once I'm awake I continue to pick for some time without even thinking about it. I too have tried wearing gloves to bed at night and no matter what I somehow manage to take them off and pick. I notice that the picking during the night tends to be worse if I had a particularly stressful day or if I was around people for most of the day and therefore did not have a chance to perform my usual routines. So glad to know that I am no alone in this!! Let me know if you come up with anything that helps.

xKatharine December 31, 2009

Ah that's exactly it! During the night is actually when new sores are created, and then during the day I continue to pick at them, like you said, without realizing for a while that I had created them during sleep. I also know exactly what you mean about it being worse after a stressful day, it's like I'm making up for lost time from during the day by doing in while sleeping! Thank you so, so much, I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one that experiences this, and that also has had the experience of somehow always taking off gloves/hat/etc in order to pick.