From the Editor

by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief

As I am typing this, we are nearing the one-year mark since the US (and entire world) went into lockdown in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19. My birthday in 2020 was celebrated with a friend I was visiting in South Carolina, as she scrambled to prepare for at-home school for her two children.

My drive home was surreal with hardly any traffic on the freeways and empty rest stops. All the overhead DOT signs had alerts and messages about washing your hands to prevent the spread of the virus.

This year, I was able to spend my birthday with several hundred of my favorite survivors — virtually — during my #NOTINVISIBLE brain injury awareness day event.

While we are all still reeling from the effects of lockdown, isolation, lost income, death of family members, and maybe even overcoming COVID ourselves, we are continuing to move forward in our lives and our recoveries.

This issue is all about sleep — such an important topic in the TBI community. Many can’t get to sleep, or if they do, they sleep poorly, while others may sleep too much. It’s a frustrating battle, to say the least.

When you can’t sleep, or get poor sleep, you are tired all day… struggling to get through the day and waiting to go to bed only to start the cycle all over again. Lack of sleep can’t be “caught up” with a nap; it’s more complicated than that. Sleep loss begins to affect your mood, your cognition, your memory, and so much more — on top of what we already struggle with.

I feel fortunate to have found relief through CBD oil. It’s no secret I am a fan of Entangled Biome and their line of full spectrum hemp oil (FSHO) products. I use their wellness tincture every single day before bed, and it has given me the ability to sleep through the night — something I didn’t think was ever going to happen again.

Additionally, I use their clarity tincture in the mornings to give me focus throughout the day. I also use the relief salve on any of my aching joints, often my neck or lower back.

I had tried melatonin and OTC sleeping pills for years before finding a CBD brand I completely trusted. None of it worked. Or if it did, it worked for a while before my body became used to it and needed more.

In this issue, you will read about sleep and how it affects many of the 3.5 million Americans who sustain a TBI each year. You will begin to understand the mystery of sleep and why it is so bothersome for those who can’t sleep. But most importantly, this issue will give you hope a good night’s sleep is still possible!