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Sleeping problems caused by brain injuries are common after car accidents, slip and falls or concussions on the sports field. However, many people are not aware of the link between head trauma and insomnia.

People diagnosed with brain injuries suffer often from sleep disturbances. This can be a vicious circle. If you are not sleeping soundly, you can suffer increased anxiety, depression, irritability, and tiredness.

Sleep deprivation impacts work performance and may cause car accidents. Sleep disorder studies suggest insomnia and interrupted sleep is three times more common in people with traumatic brain injuries than in the general population. Almost 60 percent of people with TBI suffer long-term difficulties with sleep. Some studies suggest women are more likely to suffer sleep disorders post TBI than men, and older people suffer from more sleep problems.

Traumatic brain injuries are often a result of an auto accident, mistakes at hospitals or slip and fall accidents. If another individual caused your injury, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit. Please contact our Virginia traumatic brain injury lawyers for help.

There are many types of sleep disorder. People with traumatic brain injuries may not always realize their conditions are caused by a TBI.

Common Sleeping Problems Caused by Brain Injuries

Some of the most common sleeping issues linked to brain injuries include:

  • Insomnia: An inability to fall asleep or remain asleep may be caused or exacerbated by a brain injury. Not feeling rested after sleep is often a sign of insomnia. The condition can exacerbate the behavioral and cognitive or comprehension problems associated with brain injuries.  It may be difficult to learn new skills when suffering from insomnia which is most acute in the weeks after sustaining a TBI.
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness: Drowsiness during the daylight hours can be associated with a TBI.
  • Narcolepsy: People who suffer narcolepsy will often fall asleep unexpectedly during the day. They often cannot control the condition.

 Why Does Insomnia Occur After a Brain Injury?

Researchers found certain processes lead to sleeping problems after a brain injury.

A blow to the head may injure parts of the brain that control sleep-wake cycles. The brain sends circadian rhythms to the body telling you when it is time to wake up, and when it is time to fall asleep. A brain injury can disrupt these rhythms.

A brain injury can also affect neurotransmitters that control wakefulness and sleepiness. They include gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), histamine, and orexin.

The brain produces a certain level of neurotransmitters at the optimum time for sleep. A brain injury may disrupt this, according to one theory. A TBI may cause communication problems when nerve cells are injured. They are not able to correctly respond to sleep and wakefulness neurotransmitters. Sleep cycles can be affected along and patterns of rapid eye movement can be impacted.

The Link Between Depression and Insomnia

Head injuries often cause depression. In turn, depression pushes insomnia rates up. Depression is often associated with concussions.

Medications are often used to treat head trauma symptoms. However, these medications can impact normal sleep patterns. Head pain also causes sleeplessness.

People who suffer insomnia after a brain injury should seek medical help.  Aim to see a specialist as soon as possible. Sleeping problems caused by brain injuries can be tricky to diagnose.

What to Do If You Suffer Sleeplessness from a Head Injury

If you suffer from insomnia after a head injury, you should contact your primary health provider. Your doctor can review your medications and formulate an action plan. Refrain from activities like watching an exciting movie before bed that will make your brain active.

You should avoid food and drinks that exacerbate sleeplessness such as caffeine from all sources including coffee, chocolate and energy drinks, especially later in the day. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) may be recommended to treat sleeplessness. CBTI is described as a scientifically proven, effective way to treat insomnia without relying on sleeping pills.

Talk to a Virginia Brain Injury Lawyer about Sleeping Problems Caused by Brain Injuries

Brain injuries are complex. They impact the lives of the sufferers in many ways. Symptoms like fatigue and lack of sleep caused by a traumatic brain injury can be debilitating. Sleeplessness makes people irritable and can cause other health problems. You can lose your job or fall asleep at the wheel, leading to further injuries. If you or a family member suffered sleeplessness after a brain injury, please contact our Virginia brain injury lawyers at (757) 244-7000.

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If you or a relative had a severe reaction to military housing mold, it might be time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Mold is everywhere, and can be dangerous. Researchers have linked mold to serious respiratory illnesses in some individuals.

Smith Law Center may be able to help if a property owner failed to keep you safe from mold in your military housing. We are one of Virginia’s oldest and most successful firms. We know how to hold negligent property owners responsible, especially when the military is involved.

Call us at (757) 244-700 or contact us online to set up a free consultation. There’s no fee for learning more about Virginia mold laws, your rights, and your legal options.

Mold in Military Housing

Black mold in military housing became widely known when Reuters published an investigation in 2018. Since then, the Department of Defense and the housing providers were supposed to take steps to improve the situation.

Unfortunately, a 2020 audit by the DoD Office of Inspector General found many issues, including the need for mold remediation, still persist.

Monetary Awards in Military Housing Toxic Mold Cases

If the property owner lets toxic mold run wild and continue to cause you harm, talk with our toxic mold attorneys about filing a lawsuit.

You may receive financial compensation for:

Service members and their families do not receive different types of damages than civilians. These are civil lawsuits in traditional courts of law.

Military Housing Mold Toxicity Symptoms

The Institute of Medicine discovered there was evidence connecting exposure to indoor mold with:

  • Upper respiratory tract symptoms;
  • Coughing;
  • Wheezing;
  • Asthma symptoms in individuals with asthma; and
  • Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals with weak immune systems.

There is also limited evidence that mold causes respiratory illnesses in healthy children or causes people to develop asthma.

Understanding Exposure to Toxic Mold in Military Housing

The topic of toxic mold is complicated. This Is in part because the term “toxic mold” isn’t accurate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains mold isn’t toxic or poisonous. However, some molds are toxigenic, which means they produce toxins called mycotoxins.

Mold is common in military housing because it’ll grow anywhere there’s moisture. That includes on and inside walls, carpet, upholstery, wallpaper, and heating and air conditioning systems. This is especially pronounced in humid conditions such as those present in Virginia.

Some people have no difficulties around mold, even large infestations in their homes. Other individuals are sensitive to molds, including those that produce mycotoxins. Someone can have a severe reaction when exposed to a large amount of mold indoors.

People may be more likely to experience mold toxicity symptoms if they have:

  • Allergies,
  • An underlying lung disease,
  • Immune suppression,
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder,
  • Asthma, or
  • Another chronic respiratory disease.

Common Types of Military Housing Mold

When you’re trying to learn more from the CDC and other resources, you’ll see the word “fungus” a lot. Mold is a type of fungus, which is something that exists all around us. Fungi are living organisms different from animals, plants, and bacteria. There are over 200,000 types of fungi and over 100,000 types of molds.

If you discovered mold in your military housing, it could be Cladosporium, Penicillium, Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus, or many other types. Stachybotrys is what everyone knows as black mold. Aspergillus is a common indoor fungus, which releases mycotoxins and can cause illness. Your symptoms may resemble common allergy or asthma symptoms.

Who is Liable for Military Housing Mold?

Since 1996, most military housing has come under the management of private companies:

  • Belfour Beatty Communities: Fort Eustis and Fort Story/li>
  • Lincoln Military Housing: Dahlgren, Little Creek, Naval Station Norfolk, Northwest Annex, Oceana, Portsmouth, Quantico, and Yorktown/li>
  • Hunt Military Communities: Fort Lee and Langley AFB

Outside of Virginia, Lendlease and Corvias Military Living are two more housing providers. Together, these five companies formed the Military Housing Association.

Military families living in on-base housing must take their complaints to their private management company — not the military. The company is responsible for providing habitable conditions and making repairs, including mold remediation.

If you’re unsure about your rights, review your state law and local ordinances about mold. In general, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to provide a habitable unit, which means it has to be safe to live in. A unit isn’t safe if it’s causing a tenant health issues due to mold.

The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires landlords to disclose if there’s mold in the written report of the move-in inspection. If a tenant discovers visible mold in the unit, then the Act requires the landlord to remove the mold and relocate the tenant until it’s gone at no additional cost to the tenant.

Unfortunately, many families find their housing providers aren’t receptive to complaints. Attorney Stephen M. Smith has handled many mold lawsuits against military housing providers who fail to abide by their lease terms and the law when it comes to mold remediation and other hazards.

Other Hazards in Military Housing

Many service members and their families deal with uncomfortable, if not hazardous, conditions in privatized military housing, including:

Lead Paint: Lead-based paint can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, irritability, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures, organ damage, and in extreme cases, death.

Asbestos: Exposure to asbestos harms a person’s lungs, and can lead to lung fibrosis (scarring), lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Radon: Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It naturally forms underground, however cracks and gaps in buildings lead to over-exposure indoors.

Poor Water Quality: Dozens of military sites have water with detectable levels of harmful chemicals.

Other issues involve rodent or insect infestations, pesticides, and faulty electrical wiring.

What Happens When a Lot of People Get Sick?

Sometimes mold exposure impacts a single individual or family. However, when the mold spreads throughout military housing, it can impact hundreds or thousands of people.

Occasionally, a large enough group of people are injured to allow for a class action or mass tort lawsuit. A class action lawsuit is one where a class representative acts as the plaintiff on behalf of the group of hurt individuals. Not every victim participates in the lawsuit. There are rules about when a group is big and similar enough to create a class action.

Mass tort lawsuits are different. When there are fewer plaintiffs who have their own set of circumstances, each person files a lawsuit. For efficiency’s sake, one or a couple of law firms may represent most plaintiffs, and the lawsuits are consolidated in a federal court.

Call the Military Housing Mold Lawyers at Smith Law Center for Help Right Away

Mold cases come about in a few ways. You or a loved one may start getting sick, and after weeks or months of struggling to find answers, you finally realize your military housing has a mold infestation. In other cases, you struggle with visible mold and then become ill.

Once you connect the illness with the mold, it’s time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Reaching out to an attorney early helps you build a strong compensation claim. We know how to collect evidence, identify who is liable, and craft a successful argument for a settlement or court award.

Attorney Stephen M. Smith has decades of experience handling injury claims and has been internationally recognized for his work. He has litigated cases involving catastrophic injuries and complex legal and scientific issues. In 2019, he was inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame.

You’re in good hands when you come to Smith Law Center for help. Reach out online or call (757) 244-7000 to schedule your 100% free consultation.

Military Housing Mold Lawsuits: FAQs

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Use the simple form below to send a message directly to our lawyers. We will respond within 1 hour or less during business hours.

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