There’s a long-standing myth that people should not go to sleep if they have a concussion or another type of brain injury. In fact, many people over the years have been forced to stay awake, as family members or caregivers were worried that they could develop serious symptoms or pass away from a brain injury if they went to sleep.
However, new research has found that sleep is actually very beneficial for someone who has had a brain injury. It can help to drain fluid from the area and it promotes healing. The person may already be feeling fatigued from the brain injury itself, and going to sleep can not only relieve those symptoms, but may also actively help the brain heal more quickly and more completely than it would have otherwise.
What is the basis of the myth?
But if sleep can actually be helpful, why do some people still believe it’s dangerous? What is it that created this myth?
The problem is essentially that symptoms are hidden as a person sleeps. If they’ve suffered a brain injury that’s getting worse, these symptoms should be a red flag to those around them that they need to go to the hospital. But if someone is sleeping and can’t be monitored, their symptoms could get much worse as they sleep. This doesn’t mean that it’s the fact that they are asleep that is causing these problems, but just that the symptoms may go unnoticed if the person is not woken up and examined periodically.
Brain injuries can have life-altering effects. Those who have been hurt due to someone else‘s negligence need to know about their options to seek financial compensation.