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Sleep problems after traumatic brain injury (TBI) are long-lasting, with many patients unaware of the persistent effects, a Neurology study finds. Thirty-one patients who experienced first TBIs underwent objective sleep assessments 18 months later, including wrist actigraphy, nocturnal video polysomnography, and standardized sleep latency tests. Patients also completed subjective measures of sleep. Healthy controls were similarly assessed.
At 18 months, the average sleep need over a 24-hour period, assessed by actigraphy, was higher among those with TBI than among controls (8.1 vs. 7.1 hours). In addition, objectively measured chronic excessive daytime sleepiness was more common among the injured (67% vs. 19%).
Of note, subjective assessments…