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Getting good sleep shown to speed recovery from brain injuries

On Behalf of | Dec 30, 2016 | Brain Injury |

Some people who are involved in motor vehicle accidents in West Virginia suffer traumatic brain injuries. They are among the most severe types of injuries that people may suffer in car crashes. A study demonstrates that getting good sleep may help a brain-injured person to recover more quickly.

Researchers at the University of Ontario studied 30 brain-injured patients who were hospitalized with moderate to severe injuries. They found that patients who had lower levels of cognitive functioning and consciousness tended to sleep for a few minutes, wake for a few minutes and repeat the cycle throughout the day and night. When the patients began recovering, their sleep cycles returned to normal.

The researchers believe that hospitals should encourage normal sleep cycles for brain-injured patients so that they might recover more quickly. They suggest that hospitals might want to use sleep drugs to help the patients stay asleep overnight. They also recommend that the patients be kept in dark, quiet rooms at night and that they are exposed to sunlight during the day to encourage the normal sleep cycle to resume.

Suffering a head injury in a car collision can be life-altering. People who have incurred a blunt-force trauma to their heads should get evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible after their accidents. Prompt treatment may prevent further brain damage from occurring and help the people to recover. After getting medical care, people who have suffered brain injuries because of the actions of others may benefit by talking to a personal injury lawyer about filing personal injury civil lawsuits against the negligent drivers who caused their accidents.