Have you ever had someone tell you that you should never go to sleep after a head injury? Perhaps it was after you suffered an injury yourself, such as in a car accident. You felt fatigued and wanted to take a nap, but family members told you not to do so because it could make your head injury worse and cause you to pass away.
It is important to know that this is not actually what is going to happen. Sleeping does not make a head injury or a traumatic brain injury any worse than it was before. In many cases, doctors will say that sleep can be helpful. It allows the body to rest and recover, which is exactly what the brain needs, and it can alleviate some of the symptoms of a TBI, such as sensitivity to light and noise.
Monitoring symptoms
The reason that people talk about the danger of sleeping after a brain injury is just because it becomes harder for someone near you to monitor your symptoms. If those symptoms are getting worse, they may not know until the injury has progressed to a dangerous level.
For instance, you may believe that you suffered a concussion in the car accident, but the reality is that there is bleeding in your brain. That bleeding would lead to more advanced symptoms like balance issues, slurred speech or even a loss of consciousness, which would ordinarily prompt those around you to bring you in for emergency medical treatment. If you are asleep, they cannot see these changes in your symptoms. But that is much different than sleep itself causing the injury to get worse.
Do you deserve financial compensation?
All traumatic brain injuries must be taken very seriously and can be quite expensive, especially when you need extensive medical care. If someone else was responsible, you may deserve financial compensation for these costs.