[eli5] In movies and TV shows, I often see people tell mortally wounded companions not to go to fall sleep. I assume it’s because it will result in certain demise. Is there any medical basis for this?

Question

[eli5] In movies and TV shows, I often see people tell mortally wounded companions not to go to fall sleep. I assume it’s because it will result in certain demise. Is there any medical basis for this?

In: Biology

Answer 1

There is definitely truth to it for head trauma. If someone has a concussion, going to sleep can make it harder to diagnose problems like loss of movement or awareness and you might miss a serious complication for eight hours instead of spotting it quickly. This same principle could apply to some other injuries like hyptohermia, lack of oxygen, or blood loss for the same reason.