In Ontario, almost half a million people live with a brain injury. Of these, many have experienced a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)—also known as a concussion—that can lead to persistent symptoms, such as anxiety, headaches, depression and fatigue.
Although the symptoms associated with mTBI are known to be worsened by poor sleep, few studies have explored the connection between mTBI and insomnia. To address this, Dr. Tatyana Mollayeva and TRI Senior Scientist Dr. Angela Colantonio led a study to identify whether insomnia occurs more often in those with mTBI.
The study enrolled 94 people who experienced mTBI at work and had symptoms that persisted longer than normal. The findings revealed that as many as 69% of those in the study group experienced insomnia—a value that was higher than previously thought.
Furthermore, the research team analyzed whether medical, social, behavioural and demographic factors were involved. Dr. Mollayeva explains, "While we found that many factors influence insomnia in these patients, depression was most closely linked to insomnia. Our results strongly suggest that sleep assessment should be incorporated into rehabilitation care after mild brain injury. Finding ways to improve sleep in those with mild traumatic brain injury may speed recovery and reduce the chance of depression."
This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Toronto Rehab Foundation. A Colantonio is the Saunderson Family Chair in Acquired Brain Injury Research. T Mollayeva was supported by a CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Graduate Scholarship Award.
Insomnia in workers with delayed recovery from mild traumatic brain injury. Mollayeva T, Mollayeva S, Shapiro CM, Cassidy JD, Colantonio A. Sleep Medicine. 2015 Jul 10. [Pubmed abstract]