Traumatic brain injury is a major cause of death and disability. Researchers are working constantly to better understand how the brain functions and what factors affect recovery after damage; new studies in the last year have discovered how to reduce seizures after a TBI, how diet affects recovery, and how common technology can speed recovery. A recent study from Switzerland may help TBI victims to avoid accidents that could lead to further injury.

Subjecting the body to any type of impact has all sorts of consequences; the human frame is mostly water held in place by sinew attached to rigid bone. Your brain is essentially a few pounds of Jell-O floating centimeters from bone on all sides; in a severe impact, incompressible water will slosh against a rigid surface. When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, brain damage is the result.

Common effects of traumatic brain injury

The known effects of brain damage vary in relation to the severity of the accident. Traumatic brain injury is often categorized as mild, moderate, or severe, though these labels are not sufficient to communicate the true nature of an injury, nor the effects felt by victims and their families. Common effects of brain injury include behavioral or personality changes, physical effects or impairments, and cognitive difficulties. This new study found a surprising effect that results from any type of TBI; sleep deprivation.

CBS News reports, “This ‘silent epidemic,’ as the researchers call it, could have dangerous consequences, as daytime sleepiness is linked to a number of safety issues. ‘Excessive daytime sleepiness is associated with public safety hazards such as car accidents, so people with TBI and their doctors should be monitoring for this problem,’