BY: Sophia Voumvakis
In May 2011, I sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). My TBI left me with a number of physical,cognitive, and emotional deficits. Working with an occupational therapist, we were able to identify these deficits develop a number of strategies to help me compensate for them. I will be eternally grateful for the help I received from a compassionate and eminently capable occupational therapist.
The one deficit that I have found the most difficult to accept is my need for more sleep. My two-hour afternoon rest period, actually, a nap, is sacrosanct. I am unable to function without it. This nap is in addition to a good nine hours of sleep a night, much more than I needed before my injury. My need for more sleep has made a huge dent in the number of productive hours I have in a day.
Whether the TBI is mild or severe, at least 25 per cent of patients experience some disturbance in sleep and/or level of daytime arousal following their injury. These symptoms can impact recovery and contribute to disability.
Most doctors will tell you that increased need for sleep arises because it takes time for the brain to heal; even a mild concussion can disrupt neural fibres and that mental activity may take much more effort following such an injury.
I recently came across an article by Dr.Barbara Schildkrout where she discusses new research in pleiosomnia, the need for an unusual amount of sleep in a 24- hour period. This research may point to new treatment approaches for this common symptom of TBI.
Schildkrout discusses the findings of two research studies which draw attention to the fact that injury of the hypothalamus is common in TBI. The posterior nucleus of the hypothalamus which contains histaminergic neurons is most affected by injury. Histaminergic neurons are part of a the body’s system which control wakefulness. The researchers suggest that a consequence of shearing forces at the point where the hypothalamus and the midbrain meet during head trauma is the loss of histaminergic neurons.
The research also identifies a less substantial but still significant loss of hypocretin/orexin neurons and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) cells in the hypothalamus. Scientists know that these types of neurons and hormones are involved in regulating arousal and sleep. In individuals with narcolepsy (frequent and excessive sleepiness) the hypocretin/orexin neurons are deficient or absent. MCH neurons are involved in both REM and non-REM sleep and are thought to promote sleep
The authors suggest that their findings point to a new approach for treating post-TBI patients who experience the need for extra sleep. Drugs which increase histamine signalling to the brain may prove helpful in the management of excessive sleepiness in TBI survivors. One such drug, Pitolisant, is being tried with some success in patients with narcolepsy and might prove helpful to TBI survivors, who like me, suffer from excessive sleepiness.
In my life before my TBI, I was a researcher. I had a passion for conducting both primary and secondary research and then communicating the results of that research in an accessible way. I hope that this is what I’ve done here, and I hope to do more of it in the future. Now, it’s time for my nap!
Since her TBI in 2011 Sophia has educated herself about TBI. She is interested in making research into TBI accessible to other survivors.
