Could sleep deprivation lessen the trauma of an accident at work?

For people who have experienced the trauma and injury of an accident at work, hearing doctors, friends and relatives advising them to "get a good sleep" is likely to be universally familiar.

However, the authors of a German study into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) suggest that doing the opposite might just be a better idea.

Although the idea that sleep deprivation might benefit a person in escaping the recurring difficulties of PTSD would seem counter-intuitive, the scientific reasoning behind the idea frames it as an altogether more reasonable proposition.

Psychologists and cognitive behaviour specialists have long held the consensus that sleep plays a vital role in consolidating memory. They even have a term for it: Post Learning Sleep.

While experts have known for many years that Post Learning Sleep helps the brain retain factual-based memory, its ability to also consolidate emotional and sensory memory has received little investigation.

What the authors of the German study did (Wagner, Hallschmid, Rasch and Born) was to test the effectiveness of Post Learning Sleep in cementing memories of certain emotional stimuli.

There were two groups involved in the study: those who slept immediately slept after receiving the stimuli; and those who didn't.

Four years later the study's participants reconvened to be tested on their recall. Its findings were unambiguous: "Sleep following learning compared with wakefulness enhanced memory for emotional texts after 4 years."

Whether this might one day benefit someone who has experienced a traumatic accident at work is unclear as it is necessary that more research is done before anyone seriously entertains the idea of using sleep deprivation as a therapeutic tool for PTSD.

However, the study's authors believe that their findings could be significant, reaching the conclusion that, "Sleep deprivation in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events could be a promising therapeutic measure to prevent PTSD."

Making a no win, no fee work accident claim
If you have suffered the injury and subsequent trauma of an accident in the workplace, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

All employers have a duty to protect the health and safety of their employees; it is one of the principles that helps underpin civil society. If you have suffered injury and trauma as a result of their negligence then claiming compensation is your basic civil right.

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If you would like to find out more about what we can do to help you, fill out an online claim form or use e-chat.

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