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According to new research, veterans who have suffered a traumatic brain injury in combat may have a much higher risk of developing sleep disorders. According to the research, more than half of these veterans suffer from sleep apnea, and close to 50% suffer from insomnia.

The research was conducted by the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC and involved about 300 soldiers who had suffered brain injuries and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the research, 56% suffered from obstructive sleep apnea. About 47% suffered from insomnia.

In fact, the researchers found that sleep complaints are common among persons with a brain injury. Other common sleep-related complaints included restless nights or fragmented sleep. More than 71% of the veterans surveyed admitted that they suffered from these conditions. Approximately 87% suffered from a condition called hypersomnia, in which people feel sleepy during waking hours.

The type of sleep disorder seems to depend on the type of injury that the person has suffered. For instance, a person who has suffered blast injuries may be more likely to suffer insomnia and anxiety. 63% of the vets with blast injuries suffered these conditions. Persons who suffered blunt force trauma were more likely to suffer from sleep apnea. Approximately 40% of the persons who suffered blunt trauma also had sleep apnea, a dangerous sleep disorder in which a person suffers from fractured and disrupted sleep at night, causing lethargy in the daytime.

California veteran’s benefits lawyers find these high rates of sleep disorders very disturbing. Sleep apnea affects between 4% and 5% of the civilian population. In fact, the researchers were not so surprised that veterans with a brain injury suffered from insomnia, but were surprised at the high incidence of sleep apnea. They recommend that doctors treating veterans with brain injury look out for specific sleep disorders.

The war in Afghanistan, which has already taken a deadly toll on our veterans in deaths and debilitating injuries, is continuing to destroy lives. According to the U.S. military, there has been an increase in the number of veterans suffering genital injuries, arm and leg amputations, as well as multiple limb losses after blasts. The increase in the number of these injuries has been severe enough to concern California veterans benefits lawyers and terrifying enough to severely impact troop morale. According to military officials, there are rumors going around that several units have made pacts not to resuscitate each other if they suffer such injuries.

According to data, the number of troops who suffered arm and leg amputations increased from 86 in 2009, to 187 the following year. This year, there have been a total of 147 leg and arm amputations thus far. Out of these amputations, the number of troops who lost two or three limbs increased from 23 cases in 2009 to 72 in 2010. In the first nine months of 2011, there were 77 such cases.

Most amputations occurred in Afghanistan, while about a dozen occurred in Iraq. In Afghanistan, the war has taken a turn for the worse, with insurgents using dangerous explosives including roadside bombs and handmade mines that can blow off limbs. According to officials, this has resulted in an increase in the number of genital injuries and amputations.

Ironically enough, this increase in serious injuries coincides with a decline in the number of fatalities in war. Many veterans who survive the horrors of war are coming back home alive, but with debilitating injuries that leave them physically crippled, and emotionally and spiritually broken. It is this possibility of going home with multiple amputations and genital injuries has caused many of these veterans to engage in non- resuscitation pacts.