What happens if you fall asleep with a concussion

This advice stemmed from the belief that falling asleep with a concussion could lead to coma and even death.

Sleeping cannot cause serious problems after a concussion. The danger is that when you are asleep, your family or your doctors are not likely to notice indications of serious brain damage — such as a seizure or weakness of one side of the body.

But is it really necessary to deny yourself sleep following a concussion? In most cases, no. Read on to learn more about concussions and sleep, including how to deal with the sleep disturbances that sometimes follow a concussion.

You may have a range of symptoms after mild head trauma, but current medical advice supports getting rest and sleep after a concussion as long as:. In fact, experts now recognize rest as an essential part of recovering from a mild head injury, especially during the first three to five days. Children in particular should see a doctor within two days of any head injury other than a mild bump. If you have a more serious concussion, your healthcare provider may recommend having someone wake you up periodically, but this generally only needs to be done a few times — not every hour.

When you have a concussion, you may feel more tired than usual or need to take brief naps throughout the day. A concussion can also affect your sleep in other ways. These sleep issues generally improve as your injury heals, though this can take up to a few weeks. Following a concussion, there are several things you can do to ensure you make a smooth recovery. The brain needs to heal by not doing so much and so sleep is perfect for it. This is the current advice. Although it should be said, that until very recently, very few trials have tested the advice that is given, something that worries some researchers.

The good news is that several news trials have been registered and are underway, so we should soon have more information on the best way to treat concussion and to care for people after a head injury. Part of the confusion here, surrounds the term concussion. It sounds so benign that some doctors argue that we should always aim to call it traumatic brain injury instead.

But some organisations do recommend that if a child has sustained a head injury, they should be woken every hour or two on the first night to check that they are still alright and that they can hold a conversation, before allowing them to go back to sleep again. Research reveals a variety of different sleep disorders which are more common after concussion, in particularly insomnia, fatigue, and sleepiness and sometimes even narcolepsy or sleep apnea.

This condition occurs most commonly in people who have a history of multiple concussions. However, it can also occur following a single concussion. A person needs medical attention if they experience a blow to the head and develop any symptoms of a concussion.

A person should also contact their doctor if they experience any prolonged or worsening symptoms following a concussion. Experiencing a concussion can cause a person to develop bleeding in the brain that is contained between the surface of the brain and its outer covering.

This is known as a subdural hematoma SDH. An SDH can cause pressure to build up between the brain and the skull. This pressure can compress and damage the brain. Without treatment, it can be fatal. People who sustain a severe head injury may develop SDH symptoms soon after the incident. Those who sustain a minor head injury may develop SDH symptoms days or even weeks after the injury.

A person needs emergency medical attention if they or their child shows any symptoms of an SDH following a head injury. Medical experts now agree that it is not necessary for a person to stay awake following a concussion. However, it is important to wake a person with a concussion every few hours to ensure that they are not experiencing any deteriorating symptoms. A concussion itself will not cause a coma or death. However, the head trauma that caused the concussion could cause serious and potentially life threatening complications.

In this article, find out what to do for a concussion. Learn about the common signs and symptoms, how long recovery takes, and when to seek emergency….

Concussion recovery usually takes 2 weeks to 1 month, and most people make a full recovery. Learn about concussion recovery and recovery tips here. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. What Is a Concussion? Sleep-Related Symptoms. Tips for Getting Rest After a Concussion. When to See a Doctor. Frequently Asked Questions. Serious Effects of Mild Concussions. Was this page helpful?

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