What can and cannot be done after a concussion, is it really not allowed to sleep?

Rehabilitation after injury

The recovery period after a concussion depends on the severity of the injury. The lung can be treated at home; after examination at the emergency room, the attending physician will release you for home treatment, giving a number of recommendations. They will consist of maintaining bed rest, avoiding stress, including visual stress - after an injury, TV and computer should be excluded for a couple of weeks. By following the recommendations and taking prescribed medications, within 10-12 days there will be no trace left of the consequences of a mild concussion.

Moderate and severe concussions are treated in a hospital setting; rehabilitation after treatment can last from a month to six months. After hospitalization, the doctor prescribes drugs that improve blood circulation in the brain, nootropic drugs, anticonvulsants, painkillers depending on the severity of the headaches, and anti-inflammatory drugs. Also, after injuries of any severity, mild sedatives are recommended - teas with mint, herbal infusions with lemon balm and valerian tablets.

After discharge or for home treatment, bed rest is recommended for at least two weeks. According to medical statistics, about 30% of mild concussions suffered on the legs lead to worse consequences than severe injuries treated in a timely manner.

Reference! It is recommended that you visit a neurologist monthly for a year after a concussion of any severity.

Treatment

During the recovery period, bed rest for two weeks is recommended. The patient with a concussion should be provided with peace, absence of bright light in the ward or room, or loud sounds. A neurologist or traumatologist prescribes the following drugs:

1. Antihypoxants (Cytoflavin, Mexidol).
2. Diuretics (diuretics).
3. Organic preparations (Cerebrolysin, Cortexin).
4. Nootropics.
5. GABA agonists, Glycine.
6. Anticonvulsants.

To improve cerebral circulation and reduce edema, the drugs Actovegin (Solcoseryl) are used. Antihypoxants Mexidol and Mildronate reduce the severity of neurological symptoms, improve blood flow, and increase the resistance of brain tissue to oxygen deficiency due to ischemia.

To quickly remove excess fluid in intracranial hypertension syndrome, diuretics are prescribed (Furosemide, Veroshpiron). At home, take an infusion of Orthosiphon stamen. It is advisable to carry out dehydration therapy several hours before going to bed so that swelling of the brain tissue does not increase while the patient sleeps. After this, the victim can fall asleep without fear of complications.

All about the consequences of a concussion: prognosis for patients.

It's helpful to know what the most effective concussion recovery is.

Note to parents! Concussion in children: symptoms and causes of injury.

For faster recovery after TBI, Cortexin and Cerebrolysin - drugs made from animal brain tissue - are sometimes prescribed. They reduce the process of peroxidation in neurons, weaken the toxic effect of excitatory amino acids (glutamate, aspartate) on them.

To maintain normal memory, quickly engage in intellectual work, and eliminate hypoxia, nootropic drugs are used. Piracetam, Noopept, Aniracetam are prescribed by a neurologist.

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system. Its agonists, such as Picamilon and Aminalon, eliminate the effect of excitatory amino acids on cortical centers after TBI. Improves sleep, promoting faster recovery from injury. Glycine is an inhibitory amino acid that calms the nervous system. Anticonvulsants (Carbamazepine) reduce the convulsive readiness of the cortex.

Prohibitions and recommendations

There are a number of general prohibitions and recommendations after a concussion of any type , non-compliance with which leads to unpleasant consequences.

What is allowed?

The most important thing that you can and should do after a concussion is to sleep and rest a lot. You can listen to calm music without using headphones. After 3-5 days, depending on the degree of injury, you can start reading books - in doses, no more than an hour a day. Do light housework - wash dishes, cook food. After two weeks you can start going out for walks.

What not to do?

The list of prohibitions after a concussion is quite extensive. You can’t for at least two weeks:

• watch TV;
• work on computer;
• drink alcohol;
• exercise;
• do heavy housework - wash floors, windows, move furniture.

Is it possible to smoke?

After a concussion, it is almost guaranteed that the doctor will prohibit the patient from smoking during rehabilitation. This ban, depending on the degree of injury, can last two weeks or six months. The fact is that during the restoration of the damaged brain and blood vessels, the blood flow to the cells must be constant and uninterrupted.

When smoking, even a completely healthy brain experiences oxygen starvation , since nicotine, entering the body, constricts blood vessels and greatly slows down the blood flow and oxygen supply to the tissues.
If the ban is not observed, insomnia, severe headaches, convulsions, and sudden mood swings may begin. To avoid this, it is better to give up cigarettes. Perhaps this will be a chance to get rid of the addiction forever.

Fly on a plane

On an airplane, even a healthy person experiences a number of unpleasant symptoms , these are:

1. excitement, stress before the flight;
2. pressure drops during takeoff and landing;
3. reduction of oxygen entering the body;
4. staying in one position for a long time, causing swelling and numbness in parts of the body.

All this has an extremely negative impact on the recovery of the damaged brain. Many doctors recommend avoiding airplane travel for a year after your injury if you continue to take medications. In a year, the main processes of brain restoration will be completed, and the consequences of the flight will not be so unpleasant.

Attention! Doctors recommend avoiding flying for at least a month if the injury was mild, and three months if the concussion was moderate or severe.

Watch TV

A ban on watching TV is established by doctors after a brain injury of any severity; it differs only in the time of the ban. After a minor injury, you will have to stop watching your favorite TV shows for at least two weeks. After a moderate or severe concussion, the ban may be for a month or more. You can’t just watch TV, you can listen to programs without using headphones.

Why can't you sleep if you have a concussion?

There is an opinion that after a severe concussion, accompanied by swelling, extensive hematomas, and cracks in the bones, the patient should not sleep for a long time, as this increases the risk of falling into a coma. In fact, there is no medical evidence to support this theory. During sleep, the brain recovers as quickly as possible, so a patient who has suffered an injury needs as much rest as possible.

When to ask for help

After a head injury, a person should be examined by a doctor. Even if there is no visible damage to the skull, the brain could be severely damaged. The doctor must rule out hemorrhage or swelling of the brain (these are more complex consequences of injury).

You cannot independently diagnose a concussion and think that everything will pass.

Concussion symptoms fall into several categories because the injury affects almost the entire body.

Symptoms of concussion in terms of thinking and memory

1. The person lost consciousness for several seconds or minutes.
2. He doesn’t remember what happened to him and what happened immediately after the injury.
3. Inhibited, slow to answer questions, does not understand what is being said to him.
4. Can't concentrate.
5. Has difficulty reading or writing.
6. Cannot remember new information.

Symptoms of a concussion from the general condition of the body

1. Headache.
2. Visual impairment: flies fly before the eyes, the image doubles and blurs.
3. Nausea and vomiting.
4. Dizziness.
5. Sensitivity to bright light and noise.
6. Balance problems, unsteady gait.
7. Drowsiness or, conversely, insomnia.

Emotional and mood symptoms of concussion

1. Unreasonable irritability.
2. Depression.
3. Increased emotionality: a person’s mood changes quickly.
4. Fatigue, lack of energy.

You can notice a child’s injury if his behavior has changed: the baby does not respond to external stimuli, cannot concentrate, is capricious, cries, and refuses water and food.

If a person is vomiting, cannot remain conscious, falls asleep, does not answer questions, do not try to take him to the hospital yourself, call an ambulance.

If a person who is drunk or taking tranquilizers is injured, he must be taken to the emergency room, because the symptoms of a concussion in such a situation are easy to ignore.

Physical activity and daily routine

In the first five days after a minor injury, strict bed rest is recommended; after the patient’s condition improves, bed rest is expanded, but remains for up to two weeks. The consequences of moderate and severe concussions are more complex. After discharge from the hospital, doctors recommend staying in bed for at least 10 days.

After this period, you can increase your physical activity - start walking, doing simple household chores, reading. You are allowed to sew - no more than an hour a day, with rest breaks. It is advisable to postpone sports and computer work for a longer period.

Is it possible to play sports and why?

Participating in professional sports after a concussion is contraindicated until complete recovery and begins under the supervision of a doctor.
The minimum time to resume training is two months after injury. For mild to moderate concussion, breathing exercises designed specifically for rehabilitation can be started on the fifth or sixth day after the injury. Walking, light jogging, swimming pool, yoga classes without neck exercises - two weeks after all symptoms disappear.

Important! For prolonged headaches, insomnia, and convulsions after a concussion, it is better to postpone any sports activities, except for walks in the fresh air and breathing exercises, until complete recovery, after consulting with a neurologist.

Medical myths: is it dangerous to let someone with a concussion fall asleep?

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They say that a person who has received a concussion should under no circumstances fall asleep - there is a risk that sleep will turn into a coma. The BBC columnist tried to figure out how true this statement is.

Concussion has recently become a topic of widespread attention, with debate over whether athletes who have suffered a head injury should be allowed to return to professional sports.

Many insist that the short- and long-term consequences of traumatic brain injuries should be taken more seriously.

At the same time, the majority shares the dubious concept that a person who has suffered a blow to the head should under no circumstances be allowed to fall asleep, otherwise he will fall into a coma.

However, such recommendations can no longer be heard from modern doctors, since there is no evidence confirming the validity of this thesis.

A concussion is an injury that occurs as a result of a strong blow to the head or a sharp and sudden shaking, such as a car accident.

People who tend to take head injuries extremely seriously are absolutely right: such episodes can have very sad consequences, and one of the difficulties is that diagnosing the severity of this injury is very difficult.

In the United States alone, between 1.6 and 3 million cases of traumatic brain injury are reported annually.

Currently, to determine the severity of such an injury, doctors are forced to rely on characteristic symptoms, which include vomiting, confusion, loss of balance, blurred vision or headaches and tingling in the extremities.

It is hoped that in the future, doctors will be able to detect concussions using a simple blood test that measures the levels of certain substances in the bloodstream.

A team of researchers at Orlando Regional Medical Center in Florida recently discovered two types of proteins that the brain releases when it is damaged by a blow to the head.

However, it will take several more years to complete the research, and until then, doctors will have to rely on symptoms to make a diagnosis.

The fear that a person who has suffered a head injury may fall asleep and not wake up is associated with the so-called lucidity period

The fear that a person who has received a head injury may fall asleep and not wake up is due to the fact that many do not fully understand the mechanism of the so-called gap of lucid consciousness.

This is a rare phenomenon that marks the period of wakefulness between primary and secondary loss of consciousness.

At first, a person comes to his senses after an injury in a seemingly normal state, but at this time a hemorrhage, or hematoma, occurs in his brain, which puts pressure on the brain tissue.

And if, as a result of this hematoma, the victim again loses his creation, then here we can already talk about a threat to life.

However, even in the case of a cerebral hemorrhage, the likelihood of a period of clear consciousness occurring remains extremely small.

However, the threat of a brain hemorrhage is why it is so important to pay attention to the symptoms listed earlier if you are dealing with a person who has just received a blow to the head.

This is what organizations recommend, from World Rugby to the NHS.

But if a person does not experience confusion, vomiting, double vision, impaired motor function, or severe pain in the head or neck, then there is no need to force him to stay awake.

In reality, the victim, on the contrary, needs rest - both physical and mental.

That is why athletes need to not only stop their training for some time, but also avoid intense mental effort.

Children who have suffered a concussion should reduce their schoolwork until they have fully recovered.

The brain needs to recover by reducing stress, and sleep is the ideal solution to this problem.

So for traumatic brain injury victims, sleep is a benefit, not a source of risk.

A number of organizations recommend waking him up every hour or two on the first night after a child has suffered a traumatic brain injury.

These are the recommendations of modern experts. However, it should be recognized that until recently, virtually no tests were carried out to verify these or those recommendations, and this causes serious concern among a number of researchers.

On the positive side, several new trials have now been registered and are being conducted. This means that there is a chance that in the near future new information will become available about the optimal methods of treatment for concussion and the rules of care for patients with head injury.

Partly misleading is the word “concussion,” which sounds so harmless that some doctors strongly recommend abandoning it in favor of the term “traumatic brain injury.”

However, some organizations do recommend that if a child suffers a traumatic brain injury, they should be awakened every hour or two during the first night after the concussion to ensure that they are well and able to carry out a coherent conversation. After this, you can let the child fall asleep again.

Nutrition for concussion

After discharge from the hospital, in order to speed up the recovery of the brain and circulatory system, the doctor prescribes a special diet or, at a minimum, recommends eliminating from the diet a number of foods that interfere with recovery. Let's consider what a patient can eat and drink during a concussion, what they need to eat, as well as what foods can be dangerous and should never be eaten.

Diet

The first few days after the injury, while the patient experiences nausea and dizziness, you can give the patient a light nutritious broth - made from chicken or beef with the addition of herbs. When the victim’s condition returns to normal, you can begin to eat protein foods prepared in a gentle manner, such as steamed meat or fish, baked vegetables, and fresh fruits.

All this needs to be eaten

During rehabilitation, the following products are most preferred:

• lean meats and fish;
• dairy products - skim milk, kefir, cottage cheese, cheese in small quantities - no more than 20 grams per day;
• vegetables and fruits - any, without restrictions;
• fresh herbs;
• fruit and vegetable juices;
• whole grain porridge – buckwheat, pearl barley.

During the recovery period, the patient especially needs magnesium and potassium, especially if diuretics are prescribed. To improve brain function, it is recommended to include dried fruits, seafood, and legumes in your diet.

Unacceptable Products

are prohibited for the first few weeks after injury , and in some cases longer:

• alcohol in any doses;
• smoked, fatty, spicy - both meat and fish;
• sausage and frankfurters;
• foods with a lot of sugar - cakes, pastries, sweets, chocolate.
• fried pies, donuts.

What to do while you are waiting for doctors

1. Apply a cold compress to the injury site for 20 minutes to reduce swelling. Wrapping a bag of frozen vegetables in a towel is the fastest way to make an ice pack.
2. Lay the person on his side, bend his legs, place one palm under his head, and also bend the other arm at the elbow. The position must be stable so that the person does not accidentally turn over on his back if consciousness passes out.
3. Don't give medicine.

Important! If someone is unconscious, the default assumption is that they have a serious head or neck injury. Do not shake, roll over or carry the person. Call an ambulance.

What are you allowed to drink?

The drinking regime after a concussion should be moderate, and not all drinks can be consumed. The most preferable ones for recovery after injury are:

• water, including mineral water;
• freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices;
• fruit and berry teas, including hibiscus;
• green tea - with caution, no more than two cups per day.

The diet must be combined with good rest, long sleep, walks in the fresh air, and giving up bad habits. Only in this case will it contribute as much as possible to the rapid recovery of the body after injury.

Effect of alcohol

Huge misconception! Many people mistakenly believe that small amounts of alcohol are acceptable immediately after stopping treatment for a head injury if medications are no longer needed.

Most doctors categorically forbid patients to drink alcohol for at least six months after a concussion , and after severe injuries, to abstain from it altogether.

Ethanol can destroy the brain of a healthy person, but after an injury, drinking alcohol can not only increase headaches and cause sudden mood swings, but also cause a hypertensive crisis, swelling of the brain, provoke a stroke and even a coma.

What is the best time to abstain from alcohol?

After any head injury, the minimum period of alcohol prohibition is six months. If you have a moderate concussion, you should stop drinking ethanol-containing drinks for at least a year, and after severe injuries - forever.

Coffee

Coffee is an extremely controversial drink after a head injury. On the one hand, caffeine increases blood pressure, can cause increased headaches, and disrupt sleep patterns.
On the other hand, patients who are accustomed to drinking coffee every day will also not benefit from abruptly quitting the drink. Doctors, as a rule, offer a compromise - if the victim cannot give up the drink even for a short time, then you can drink it - but no more than two cups a day and not earlier than three days after the injury.

Symptoms of a concussion

A concussion is an injury received from blows to the face, neck, falls, or accidents. The neurons do not die, but the interaction between them is disrupted. The person experiences very unpleasant symptoms:

• dizziness, pain;
• blurred vision, double vision, spots;
• hum, whistling in the ears;
• nausea, vomiting;
• convulsions.

Although the injury is not very serious, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible: a neurologist or traumatologist.

It is important to learn what symptoms of a concussion appear some time after the injury.