Accidents often happen so fast that it is difficult to process everything that happened. For most injuries, you can look for bruises or swelling that indicate you have an injury. Still, not all injuries have such obvious signs.
Head injuries are easy to overlook since you may not remember hitting your head, and the pain is easy to dismiss. However, overlooking a head injury can have serious consequences.
These are some of the most overlooked symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Change in sleep patterns
After an accident, you may have a significant amount of residual pain and stress. One way the body will cope with the extra stimuli is through sleep. You may also find yourself unable to sleep in the days after the accident.
Unfortunately, whether you are sleeping or not sleeping, it will make sense because you are coping with the trauma from the accident. If you are experiencing a change in your sleep patterns, it could indicate that you had significant head trauma during the accident.
Changes in moods or behaviors
Your brain is responsible for most of how you process information and deal with the world around you. When your brain is stressed, it can make it challenging to go through your day while maintaining a brave face to the world.
Similar to the change in sleeping patterns, you may chalk up a change in behavior to the stress from the accident. However, your behavior change could indicate that the accident resulted in head trauma.
Listen to your loved ones
The symptoms of a TBI can be easy to overlook or dismiss, but your loved ones will likely notice the change. If a friend or family member mentions that you are acting differently, you should seek care from a medical professional.
Time is an important factor for a traumatic brain injury. Your health care provider can help you create a treatment plan to get you the support you need for your injury.