LIFE IN A COMA

Being in a Coma is Like One Long Lucid Dream

Coma is a state of unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened; fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound; lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle; and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as being comatose. A distinction is made in the medical community between a coma and a medically induced coma, the former is a result of circumstances beyond the control of the medical community, while the latter is a means by which medical professionals may allow a patient's injuries to heal in a controlled environment.

A person can be put into a coma by a severe head injury, a condition such as stroke that affects the brain, an infection, or by being poisoned.

They can also be put into a medically-induced coma by doctors.

This differs from other comas as it is temporary, and the person will regain consciousness once the sedatives used to put them into a sleep state have worn off.

Whether a person will be able to hear people around them talking, or have clear memories of their coma, depends on the level of consciousness.

A scale known as the Glasgow Coma Scale measures eye opening, verbal responses to commands and voluntary movements in response to commands.

A high score on the scale suggests that less brain function has been lost. 

In medically-induced comas, sedatives including and ketamine are used to sedate people, said Mr Colin Schieff, a neurosurgeon and trustee of brain injury charity Headway.

Usually they are only sedated to the level of treatment required, he said.

For example, a conscious, awake person might have difficulty using a breathing machine known as a ventilator, as they would cough and gag.

But if they are mildly sedated, they can tolerate using the machine.

‘We will treat people in an intensive care ward so they are knocked out but they can respond and shake their head even if they only pick up on that later on as a memory,’ Mr Schieff told MailOnline.

'Those put into a medically-induced coma are more likely to be aware and respond in a “normal fashion”', he said.

He added it is not abnormal for people put into medically induced comas to remember the experience afterwards, and hallucination such as Miss Wineland’s are common due to the effects of sedatives on the brain.

It is less common for people in 'naturally-occurring' comas to have such memories, he said, although there is no scientific way of proving this.

He said: ‘Lots of memories will be more likely to stick and be put into a memory later on [in medically-induced comas].

‘Certainly, the drugs affect the way you’re able to perceive and interact in the world.

‘In fact, these medical drugs are used recreationally to induce the same effects, we call it disassociation.’ 

Teenager gives vivid account of being in a sleep state for 2 weeks - and the bizarre hallucinations she experienced

• Claire Wineland, 18, has cystic fibrosis and got an infection 5 years ago
• Seriously unwell, she was put into a medically-induced coma for 2 weeks
• In the video, she describes the experience of being in this sleep state
• Includes hallucinations about being in Alaska when she was being cooled
• Says the scenery in her mind depended on whose voice she could hear 

Wandering through snowy ridges, breathing in icy air and spotting a deer crouching in the distance, Claire Wineland believed she was in Alaska.

The scenery was so idyllic and the scent of pine trees so fresh, she didn't care that it was freezing cold. 

In fact, she was lying in a hospital bed in a medically induced coma.

Miss Wineland, from Redondo Beach, California, was born with cystic fibrosis - a condition in which the lungs and digestive system become clogged with thick sticky mucus.

Five years ago, the now 18-year-old developed a life-threatening infection and was put into a coma so doctors could save her life. 

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