Sleeplessness, Pain Signals and Disability Cases

Disruptions in restful sleep patterns and sleeplessness can lead to increased chronic pain, impaired concentration and memory loss in disabled Social Security Disability claimants

In many Social Security cases, questions about the claimant’s sleep habits are asked by Herndon disability lawyer Doug Landau because they explain his clients’ reports of chronic pain, memory loss, difficulties with concentration, inability to remember simple instructions, and irritability.  All of these findings impact the ability of a disabled worker to do any kind of simple, sedentary and/or unskilled type of job.  And, if the Administrative Law Judge finds that the claimant is disabled from even easy, sit-down jobs, then a “Fully Favorable” opinion is issued and the client can then receive a monthly wage loss check from the Federal Government.  Disability lawyer Landau notes, “most Social Security lawyers overlook this important evidence.  Lack of sleep due to pain causes a vicious cycle.  Loss of sleep due to pain often results in less healing, more pain and more stress because the patient cannot remember, follow through or concentrate.  Plus, some medications reduce the ability to get a full, restful night’s sleep. Sleep patterns is something I try to explore with every client, their family members, friends and other witnesses.”

Recent medical investigation backs Landau’s stratagem up.  The 12/18/12 NYTimes Digest reported that recent scientific studies revealed that losing sleep may disrupt the human body’s pain signaling system.  This heightens the body’s sensitivity to pain stimuli.  Though it is not clear why this is so, one theory is that sleeplessness increases inflammation throughout the body.  Catching up on sleep may reduce the inflammation.  Scientists believe this could have implications for people who struggle with chronic pain.  It could also have an impact on the effect of painkillers, which appear to be blunted after chronic sleeplessness.

So the next time an Administrative Law Judge suggest that lawyer Landau’s client should not be complaining of pain because of their medication load, the Herndon disability lawyer will point to this study as additional support for the proposition that insufficient sleep reduces the effectiveness of prescribed pain medications.  If you or someone you know or care for has been injured and become disabled as the result of a car, truck, bicycle or motorcycle crash and there are questions about Social Security Disability Income, e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555) at once.