Up to 75% of individuals with TBI experience sleep disturbance for a variety of reasons. Such disturbance may impact individuals by;

• Prolonging recovery from TBI
• Exacerbating cognitive complaints, particularly attention and processing speed
• Hindering overall recovery by slowing or preventing the process of neuroplasticity
• Reducing immune system function

Types of sleep disorders that may occur after TBI

• Sleep apnea (23% of TBI patients)
• Hypersomnia (11%)
• Periodic limb movements (7%)
• Narcolepsy (6%)

Diagnosis & Treatment

Reasons for Sleep Disturbances after Traumatic Brain Injury

References

Mazwi, N., Fusco, H., & R. Zafonte (2015). Sleep in traumatic brain injury. In Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 128. J. Grafman and A.M. Salazar, Eds. Elsevier.

Singh, K., Morse, A., Tkachenko, N., & S. Kothare (2016). Sleep disorders associated with traumatic brain injury – A review. Pediatric Neurology, 60, 30-36.

Lucke-Wold, B., Smith, K., Nguyen, L., Turner, R., et al. (2015). Sleep disruption and the sequelae associated with traumatic brain injury. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 55, 68-77.

Ponsford, J., & K. Sinclair (2014). Sleep and fatigue following traumatic brain injury. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 37, 77-89.

Baumann, C. (2016). Sleep and traumatic brain injury.   Sleep Medicine Clinics, 11, 19-23.

Larson, E., & F. Zollman (2010). The effect of sleep medications on cognitive recovery from traumatic brain injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 25, 1, 61-67.