Most adults in Delaware know all too well the problems associated with lack of sleep. For those who have suffered a serious head injury, the importance of sleep becomes even more important. According to a recent media report, the monitoring of an individual’s cycle of sleep and alertness may be a key component in recovery from brain injuries.
The central finding of the study, which appeared in a recent issue of the journal Neurology, is that recovery from brain damage tends to correspond with an improvement in the brain injury victim’s sleep. Researchers who reviewed the sleep of 30 people of varying adult ages found that, as they became more alert, the brain injury victims also slept better. The subjects were mainly people who had been injured in car accidents and arrived at medical centers in comas.
According to the author of the study, an assistant professor at the University of Montreal, one possibility is that there may exist mechanisms in the brain, which are involved in both the quality of a person’s sleep, as well as their recovery from a brain injury. The author noted that more research is needed and in particular, scientific review of how the hospital environment affects sleep and recovery.
Recovery from traumatic brain injury, or any other type of serious head injury, can be a lengthy and expensive affair. Still, there are medical advances being shaped every day by the latest research and scientific findings. Fortunately, there are also many aids currently in existence that can help brain injury victims tremendously. For victims of negligence, information on brain damage financial recovery can be gleaned from an experienced personal injury attorney.
Source: Arizona Daily Star, “Better sleep may signal recovery from brain injury,” Dec. 21, 2016
