Sleep and Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Post-traumatic sleep-wake disturbances are frequent and often chronic complications after traumatic brain injury. The most prevalent sleep-wake disturbances are insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and pleiosomnia, (i.e., increased sleep need). These disturbances are probably of multifactorial origin, but direct traumatic damage to key brain structures in sleep-wake regulation is likely to contribute. Diagnosis and treatment consist of standard approaches, but because of misperception of sleep-wake behavior in trauma patients, subjective testing alone may not always suffice.

Keywords: Excessive daytime sleepiness; Histamine; Insomnia; Pleiosomnia; Traumatic brain injury.