Mark,

Thank you for the additional information on sleep. The last thing I want to do is articulate anything that prevents someone from recovering as quickly as possible.

In looking at my post, I'm realizing that its a little misleading in that it leaves out a few details. My ability to sleep, the quality of sleep, and my need for sleep has changed dramatically over the course of my recovery. I've gone from insomnia to hypersomnia to what's getting close to a fairly normal sleep cycle (8 to 9 hours) most days. I still have nights where I sleep a lot though (10 - 12 hours). I try not to nap because it tends to interfere with my ability to sleep at night. Instead, I meditate when I need to rest my brain.

In the end, I don't try to govern it as long as when I awake I feel rested, and the following day is productive.

A couple of other points that may have changed things for me. My MRI actually showed swelling in the ventricles 45 days after the accident, a fair amount of white matter (more than normal) in the right hemisphere, and I did some damage to the discs between C4, C5, and C6.

That said, I've gone from barely being able to function, not being able to speak coherently or spell, not being able to plan or deal with anything spontaneous, along all the physical stuff, to being able to work and have a relatively normal life in a fairly short period of time. What I outlined got me from where I was to where I am now. But, I'd still say anyone ready my post should weigh my statements against what others have said in this forum, the advice they are getting from their care providers, and of course what seems to work for them.

I wish you all the best.