Researchers have undergone a large and comprehensive study on the effects traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have on the quality of sleep in affected patients.
Scientists at the University of Zurich have found that people who have had a TBI could have problems sleeping up to a year and a half after the incident with 67% experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness according to MedPage Today.
The study that was inspired by a comment a woman made about her husband’s excessive sleep patterns after experiencing a brain injury, found that people who suffer from a TBI will sleep around eight hours per night compared to seven in healthy people.
Lukas Imbach who led the study with his colleagues, observed 31 people with mild to severe TBIs over the course of 18 months alongside a group of 42 healthy people with no TBI. All participants were asked to wear devices to measure brain activity, eye movement, muscle activity and heart rhythm. They were also asked to note down patterns and levels of sleepiness throughout the day.
The results showed that there were significant high levels of daytime sleepiness in patients with a TBI which shows many people with brain injuries may be unaware of just how disrupted their sleep patterns are and how this can be potentially dangerous.
“Excessive daytime sleepiness is associated with public safety hazards such as car accidents, so people with TBI and their doctors should be monitoring for this problem. The study also shows us that people with TBI may not be able to accurately assess their own sleep problems. Since this is how the sleep quality of many people with TBI is assessed, this may be a concern.” says Imbach.
The research hopes to go towards better understanding of the effects traumatic brain injuries has on sleep. Imbach plans to delve into further studies by looking at brain imaging to determine the mechanisms going on in the brain and perhaps one day creating drugs that will go towards helping lessen the need for more sleep in TBI patients.
The study was published online in the journal Neurology.