Sleep assessment in a randomized trial of hyperbaric oxygen in U.S. service members with post concussive mild traumatic brain injury compared to normal controls.

What Researchers Did

Researchers conducted an exploratory, double-blind, longitudinal sham-controlled trial to assess sleep in 71 U.S. military personnel with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) compared to 75 healthy volunteers, using self-reports and objective actigraphy measures.

What They Found

At baseline, the mTBI group reported significantly degraded sleep quality compared to healthy volunteers, with 87.3% experiencing insomnia versus 2.8%, 70% at risk for obstructive sleep apnea versus 1.3%, and 32.4% with restless legs syndrome versus 2.7% (all p-values <0.001). However, objective actigraphy measures did not show differences between the groups, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy did not significantly improve sleep quality or sleep-wake disturbances.

Canadian Relevance

This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted with U.S. service members. However, the findings regarding sleep disturbances in mTBI patients are broadly applicable to similar populations, including Canadian military personnel and civilians.

Study Limitations

The exploratory nature of the trial and the discrepancy between subjective and objective sleep measures represent key limitations.