Ask Dr. Nick
On today’s episode, Dr. Nick talks about the importance of sleep following a concussion. Sleep is essential to health as it is the 7-9 hours that the body is allowed to repair and recover. During this time, the brain removes waste that built up during the normal day, repairs dying or damaged cells, and makes new connections for learning and memory. Lack of sleep has been shown to cause many cognitive symptoms, increase damaging proteins, and is associated with many neurodegenerative diseases. A concussion causes inflammation and damage to brain cells; therefore, removing waste, decreasing inflammation, and repairing cells is vital. Evidence from the articles has shown that poor sleep quality leads to longer resolution of symptoms following a concussion. Check out the video for more in depth information on how proper sleep is necessary to concussion recovery!
- Chung JS, Zynda AJ, Didehbani N, Hicks C, Hynan LS, Miller SM, Bell KR, Cullum CM. Association Between Sleep Quality and Recovery Following Sport-Related Concussion in Pediatrics. J Child Neurol. 2019 Oct;34(11):639-645.
- Hoffman NL, Weber ML, Broglio SP, McCrea M, McAllister TW, Schmidt JD; CARE Consortium Investigators. Influence of Postconcussion Sleep Duration on Concussion Recovery in Collegiate Athletes. Clin J Sport Med. 2020 Mar;30 Suppl 1:S29-S35.
- Benedict C, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Cedernaes J. Effects of acute sleep loss on diurnal plasma dynamics of CNS health biomarkers in young men. Neurology. 2020 Mar 17;94(11):e1181-e1189.
