Sleep More to Heal Your Brain Injury

Disordered sleep is exceedingly COMMON, after a Traumatic Brain Injury with excessive sleep or disrupted sleep reported by most patients. Unresolved sleep disturbance can prolong brain injury recovery. Basically, your brain needs sleep to heal. 

Sleep-Wake disturbances are reported in up to 70% of all brain injury, occurring at more than 3x the rate of people without brain injury. The sleep disturbances caused by brain injury can surface up to 3 years after a traumatic event. So, good sleep routines and hygiene is important for not only recovery but brain health in general. 

Some people are more likely to develop disordered sleep after a brain injury including: 

• Women

• People poor preinjury sleep quality 

• poor sleep/cognition within 2 weeks after injury. 

Disordered sleep is the #1 contributing factor to developing neurocognitive or neurobehavioral deficits in TBI patients including: 

• Depression 

• Anxiety 

• Memory loss 

• Difficulty concentrating or remembering

• Chronic pain

Breaking Down Common TBI Sleep Disturbances: 

• Insomnia: 30-60% of cases of all severities 

  • 6% of patients with no TBI 

  • 20% of patients after a single TBI

  • 50% of patients with history of multiple TBIs

• Excessive Daytime Sleepiness: 57% of TBI patients 

  • Occurs in less than 20 of the population with no TBI history

• Hypersomnia: increased need for sleep: 

  • 22% of patients reported they need 2 or more additional hours of sleep than before their brain injury 

• Sleep breathing disorders: 

  • 25-35% of patients have obstructive sleep apnea following TBI 

• Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders:

  • 36% of TBI patients experience disruptions to day/night sleep patterns

• Abnormal Movements and Behaviors during Sleep 

  • 42% of TBI patients experience Parasomnias or abnormal moving during sleep including walking & talking). 

  • 25% of TBI patients report increase in teeth grinding and bedwetting in adolescents with TBI 

Best  Practices for Addressing Sleep Disturbances

• Sleep Hygiene

  • Make the room dark to help increase natural production of melatonin at night 

  • Keep electronics out of the bedroom

  • Turn electronics off 2 hours before bed

  • Consider a protein snack before bed to help balance blood glucose 

• Phosphatidylserine Supplements 

  • Promote healthy nerve cell membranes and myelin increasing brain function and resilience. It supports cognition, language skills, memory formation, and ability to focus. When taking before bed can have a profound impact on sleep after TBI.  (stop back on Friday for a deep dive into his important brain healing supplement) 

• Melatonin

  • Particularly helpful for initiating sleep cycles within 20 minutes of taking. 

• Botanicals like:  

  • Valerian Root, Valeriana Officinalis, is especially helpful post-brain injury for it’s GABA promoting actions. It also helps reduce anxiety around sleep. 

  • Passion Flower, Passiflora Incarnata, is useful in supporting insomnia and nervous system disorders.

  • Lemon Balm, Melissa Officinalis a member of the mint family, uplifting and soothing to insomnia and the nervous system.

If you are still struggling with sleep, schedule a consultation to talk about other therapeutic options for sleep or speak with your physician. 

PMID: 30347632, 28329120, 24992464