Sometimes a good night’s sleep is the best medicine. Sadly, study after study is finding that veterans aren’t sleeping through the night like they should be. Insomnia is becoming the lurking villain thousands of veterans are now fighting.
A survey found that almost 50% of returning veterans’ sleep quality is so low that it is considered a clinically significant sleep disturbance. That percentage equates to around 900,000 veterans with sleep problems.
The top Army sleep specialist at Fort Hood, Dr. Vincent Mysliwiec, claimed the Army showed a 19% increase in insomnia between 2000 and 2009.
“If this was anything else, it’d be labeled an epidemic”
One of the biggest problems that sleep disorders cause is that it leaves veterans susceptible to other illnesses. PTSD becomes a huge risk factor when veterans aren’t sleeping. After long periods of sleepless nights, the affects of PTSD can become more and more severe.
VA Benefits for Insomnia
Despite the overwhelming amount of insomnia cases among veterans, there are no VA benefits for insomnia as a sole condition. Veterans with insomnia typically claim insomnia as a condition or symptom of another disability, like PTSD, sleep apnea or even chronic pain.
Insomnia is a serious disability that can cause big problems. Veterans with insomnia, or any kind of sleep disorder, need to get help as soon as possible. At Jan Dils Attorneys at Law we help veterans find the benefits they need to regain their life.
