A brain injury is one of the most devastating injuries a person can suffer after an accident. The road to recovery after a brain injury can take months and sometimes years. Brain injury patients who suffer from fractured or disrupted sleep may have a much more difficult path to a complete recovery from their injuries.
Brain injuries are some of the most serious injuries that can result from a slip and fall accidents. And when a person falls from an elevated area, such as a ladder or a higher floor, he is very likely to sustain serious injuries to the head. This can cause a brain injury, which may result in possibly long-term damage.
A new study finds that brain injury patients benefit from sound and significant amounts of sleep. Unfortunately, the injury itself may cause patients to suffer from sleeplessness or fragmented sleep. This, in turn, can slow down the healing process, making it even more difficult for the person to move towards a complete recovery from his injury. The study found that patients who had trouble sleeping were much more likely to suffer from physical and mental symptoms after a concussion, compared to patients who enjoyed better sleep. This indicates that sleep patterns can affect a person’s recovery after a brain injury.
Yet another study published recently points to a possible link between a traumatic brain injury and the emergence of sleep disorders. The study which was also conducted on veterans found that persons who suffer from a traumatic brain injury had a much higher likelihood of suffering from sleep apnea, insomnia, hypersomnia and other sleep-related movement disorders.
Interestingly, the risks of suffering a sleep disorder after a traumatic brain injury seems to be the highest among those who suffered from a mild traumatic brain injury compared to those who suffered from moderate to severe brain injury. The study was conducted on veterans, but it is very likely that the results could also translate to civilians.
Brain injuries are serious injuries that can have lifelong consequences. A sleep disorder like sleep apnea, for instance, could cause interrupted or fragmented sleep, leading to the person feeling drowsy and fatigued the next day which can impact a person’s ability to perform a number of jobs. This is one of the reasons why persons with a traumatic brain injury find it difficult to return to their former employment after their recovery from the injury. Problems like memory loss, concentration problems, difficulties in paying attention to a task, confusion, and others can make a difficult for a person to perform his or her job in a productive manner. It is also the reason why it is important to determine all the types of compensation that you may be eligible for, and recover these without fail when you’ve suffered a brain injury.
If you or a loved one have suffered a brain injury in a slip and fall accident, discuss filing a claim for compensation with an experienced slip and fall accident lawyer. You may qualify for damages that include long term medical expenses, physical therapy and rehabilitation, modifications to your home or vehicle to accommodate your disability and other damages that are unique to the severity of your injury.