A new study of veterans that was conducted at Oregon Health and Science University and published in the Journal of Neurotrauma shows that sound sleep is vital to healing traumatic brain injury. A summary in Science Daily indicates that veterans who slept poorly had more significant post-concussion symptoms than those who slept better.  MRIs showed the ongoing damage among the poor sleepers.  Researchers believe that the brain’s task of sweeping out waste during sleep is impaired with poor sleep and likely contributes to ongoing symptoms.

The Science Daily article also offers hope that sleep can be improved through shifts in sleep hygiene habits.

You can see the Science Daily summary here and an abstract of the study from the Journal of Neurotrauma here. The full study is behind a pay wall.