HomeAnswersNeurologystrokeAfter a stroke, my father sleeps 20 hours a day and has confused behavior. What should we do?

Is sleeping for long duration and confusion normal after recovering from stroke?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Answered by

Dr. Hitesh Kumar

Medically reviewed by

iCliniq medical review team

Published At December 6, 2022
Reviewed AtMay 15, 2023

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

My father has been diabetic (type 2) for the past 25 years and has high blood pressure for the past seven to eight years. He had a paralytic stroke a few months back and had thrombolysis done. He started recovering with the help of physiotherapy. After 15 days of stroke, he was found to be dengue positive. He is now better. He now takes tablet Strocit Plus (twice a day), tablet Levipil 500 mg (twice a day), tablet Ecosprin (once a day), tablet Atrovas (once at night), tablet Dailyglim PM 2 (twice a day before food), tablet Debiiliptin - M Forte (once a day after food) and tablet Telma 20 once a day.

We are concerned that he sleeps 20 hours a day. He lacks the energy or strength to get up and enjoy the joy of daily routine. Sometimes, he talks weirdly, like he does not understand things. For example, he has a urine catheter and diaper, but he insists on going to the toilet. He insists on going to temples and his shop. He does not listen when we tell him he is weak.

Kindly help.

Answered by Dr. Hitesh Kumar

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thank you for your query.

I understand your concern. Sleeping for a long duration with intermittent confused behavior can be due to a few possibilities:

  1. Underlying forgetfulness or dementia, which may be compensated prior but getting worse due to febrile illness.
  2. Involvement of the thalamus at the time of stroke (the thalamus part of the brain is important for the brain's awake response).
  3. Intensive care unit (ICU) psychosis.
  4. High ammonia.
  5. Underlying infectious disease (in any part of the body).
  6. I suggest you to go for a physical examination and follow up with the following investigations:

    1. EEG (electroencephalography).
    2. Serum ammonia.
    3. CBC (complete blood count).
    4. LFT (liver function test).
    5. KFT (kidney function test).
    6. X-ray chest PA view.
    7. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain with contrast, and a lumbar puncture (if these are new symptoms after improvement in stroke).
    8. I hope this has helped you. Thank you.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Hitesh Kumar
Dr. Hitesh Kumar

Neurology

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