For many years, people claimed that it was unwise to sleep after suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or any type of head injury. Parents would attempt to keep their children awake after a fall, for example. Adults may try to stay awake after being involved in a car accident.
The belief was that falling asleep could make the injury more serious. Someone could recover from a TBI if they stayed awake, but they could drift into a coma if they fell asleep. In some cases, people would even go to sleep and then pass away, seeming to provide evidence that sleep itself was dangerous.
It is not sleep that is the problem
But the reality is that sleep itself doesn’t make it any more likely that a head injury will be deadly or lead to a coma. In fact, sleep can be very beneficial and help with the healing process after a head injury.
The important thing to remember is that someone who has suffered from a TBI may have symptoms that get progressively worse. If these symptoms aren’t monitored, their condition could worsen dramatically. Sleeping is only dangerous because it makes it harder to monitor those symptoms. But if parents wake their child up to check the symptoms, for example, it is fine to let the child sleep.
Seeking financial compensation
Traumatic brain injuries are very complex and the brain is a very fragile organ that can suffer long-term injuries. Those who have been hurt need to know if they have a right to seek financial compensation from the responsible party – such as the other driver in a car accident.
