After a car accident, you might feel tired and want to sleep. While this can be a normal reaction to a stressful event, too much sleeping after a car accident can be a sign that you have suffered a serious brain injury.
While it’s possible that the causes of your increased sleep are relatively harmless, it’s important to determine if you have suffered a traumatic brain injury or concussion. If left untreated, your life could be at risk in the weeks after your accident.
Why Am I Tired After My Car Accident?
During a car accident, your body releases stress hormones that help you cope with the situation. Once these start to wear off in the hours following your accident, you may begin to feel tired. This may be due to the stress of dealing with everything that will happen after your accident. You will probably have to fill out a lot of paperwork with insurance companies. You might also have to speak with the police.
While this additional work can make you tired, especially if you have a job and a family, it may be due to an injury you can’t see. You may have suffered a concussion or a TBI during your accident.
What Should I Do if I’m Sleeping More After a Car Accident?
If you notice that you are sleeping more than normal after your car accident, go to the hospital as soon as possible. According to a 2016 study of concussion patients, 30 to 70 percent of people who received a TBI reported poor sleep or sleeping too much after their accident.
Talk to a doctor to get the tests you need along with a diagnosis for your tiredness. Don’t ignore your body or think that your tiredness is normal and will go away. Doing so could cost you your health and your money.
You should also take the following steps after your accident to give yourself the best chance for a full recovery:
- Document Everything: Document your tiredness to clearly tie it to your accident. This could help you get money later on if you have been injured. Be sure to note all of your symptoms and when they started. Do this as soon as possible after your accident.
- Don’t Sign Anything: If your accident involved another person, one of their representatives may contact you to settle or waive your rights. Don’t sign anything until you have talked to a lawyer or you could miss out on getting money for your injury. You may also accidentally admit fault, which can lead to more problems.
- Speak With an Attorney: A personal injury attorney can help you figure out how much money you can get from your accident, just like a car accident lawyer, and Phoenix car accident lawyer fees are very reasonable.
- Contact Your Insurance Company: Contact your insurance company to inform them that you are falling asleep more after your accident.
What Happens if I Don’t Seek Treatment?
If you are tired after a car accident and you don’t seek treatment, you could suffer from dizziness, disrupted sleep, memory loss, and more. Sometimes, tiredness after an accident can even kill you if it’s due to a traumatic brain injury. If you think you are suffering from traumatic brain injury, then you would need a tbi attorney to assess the details of the case, including medical records, accident reports, and expert opinions, to determine the strength of the claim and the potential for compensation.
Some tiredness after a car accident may be normal, but if it persists beyond the first couple of days or you have a head injury, it may not be. Take the steps now to protect yourself, your finances, and others. Seeking out appropriate care from an injury clinic Nashville, or by you, could make the difference between making a full recovery and suffering over the long-term, or even worse. Visit this site to learn about some common causes of car accidents from a New Orleans personal injury law firm.
