Ah HA! Just ran across this old post by you, Mark. And I read more about the cognitive effects of sleep deprivation. I sleep on my side, and if I have a neck injury, which is already putting pressure on arteries, then it would only be exacerbated by sleeping in this position. So I'm not getting good sleep (makes sense, because I have large dark circles under my eyes, despite "sleeping" for 10 hours every night), which is causing this "fog".
This is starting to make more sense for me...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho
Dr Leddy was good at identifying the upper neck injuries. This is missed in so many cases. I am not surprised he discounted any PCS.
Your current symptoms may not be PCS related but I doubt it. More likely, they are due to PCS but are magnified by your neck injury and inflammation around the important arteries that oxygenate 30% of your brain. This will make good sleep elusive thus magnifying your PCS symptoms.
I bet you do not breath properly when sleeping. This is very common when there is an upper neck injury. Other lower body and extremity symptoms can be caused by this lack of good blood flow to the brain stem and surrounding areas.
You will be likely helped by finding a way to position your head and neck to be supported after you fall asleep. the lack of muscle function while asleep allows the neck and head to fall off into contorted positions. For a healthy neck, this would not be a big problem. For an injured neck, the inflammation that sets in magnifies the neck injury by constricting the arteries.
Try reclining with a focus on straight neck and head position. If when you relax, your head changes position, find a way to support it so it does not move. If possible, try to lay or recline in this position with an ice pack in place. Use the synthetic ice packs that have a mushy form in a sealed plastic pouch. They will retain their shape after they have lost the cooling effect.
If you can fall asleep like this and get some good rest, you have a answer to part of your problem. Getting as much sleep like this will change your life.
I am an expert in sleep positioning. I must have good head and neck support or I never get any good restorative sleep. I have been struggling with this for 12 years. I either have a good to great night's sleep or a miserable one. Nothing in between.
If I wake up struggling to sleep good, I do better to get up and go do something until I can go back to bed and fall asleep in the correct position. My wife knows that if she sees me struggling, she is to wake me up and tell me to go sleep in my recliner. At least she will get the rest of the night to sleep.
Hope this helps.
My best to you.
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