concussion

[LeoOliver]

Hi

We’re currently trying to help our 11 y/o son get over his second concussion from playing rugby in the last 3 months. Any tips on helping him sleep? He’s always slept well but the injury has given him insomnia which makes the symptoms (headache and dizziness) worse.

thanks

[Leaf100]

Calling Headway for advice us always your first stop for specific questions like this.He may need a doctor's intervention.

I do know the weighted blankets can also help a lot.

Make sure he has an app that takes the blue light off any screen as night falls - the blue light will fool your body into thinking it is daytime. I use f.lux , I think there are others.

Getting overestimated can also do it, so doing quiet things after dinner and slowly winding down can help.

You can also get lamps that go into a pattern to work with your circadian rhythm.

Some also find listening to binaural beats that help the brain produce delta helps. I am not sure if his injury is too fresh for that or not.

Also, no caffeine - look for hidden sources like chocolate.

An injured brain is more sensitive to things like caffeine and sugar.

If his brain hurts try having him eat some frozen fruit. Eating something cold sometimes helps.

And also make sure he is getting healthy fats - the vrain has a lot of fat in it, so it needs fats to heal.

I would also say let him sleep when he can. Sleep is when the healing happens. Personly I found all the sleep hygiene ideas just gave me something else to struggle with, do I let the brain be the boss and slept whenever. His mileage may vary, we're all a bit different.

The impact of multiple concussions is cumulative, even if you don't see it at first. Keep that in mind as he chooses activities.

Do call Headway about this or any other questions you have. And yes, you can definitely ask here, though of course we can only give you anecdotal tips or bits and pieces we learned - which may have changed. None of us can give actual medical advice.

Keep us posted.

Leaf

[pinkvision]

Hi, it may be an idea to get specialist pediatric help, phone the Headway helpline to see what they would suggest. Children's brains are still developing and there may be different mechanisms involved compared to fully formed adult brains. Concussions are brain injuries and need to be treated as such. It's important that your son is not classified as having psychological problems, which seems to be the standard diagnosis in the UK. Be aware that the NHS was found unfit for purpose regarding brain injuries last December and are currently under a reviewing period.

It may also help if you contact the Rugby Union for advice as your son was playing the game at the time of injury. Sport England, or other regional bodies may also be able to help in finding the correct path to take. Concussions and their effects are complicated, but the sports industry seems to be getting a grip on this subject and may be much more advanced than the health service for getting advice.

Another option, if your son was playing rugby for a recognized team, they will have insurance cover and may be able to provide private medical help which may be a better option while waiting for the NHS to get their act together.

[Beachlovingkiwi]

I find magnesium sleep support capsules helpful however everyone is different - I also got some sleeping pills prescribed early on as if I didn’t get enough sleep over a couple days symptoms would magnify and become hard so was good knowing I had them there to get a good sleep amongst it all. My 12 ye old daughter has trouble sleeping and she has just been prescribed melatonin which she said helps quieten her mind.

I have had two concussions 11 months apart and even tho the second was far less impactful than the first my recovery went back to like the same after the first - my rehab nurse said it’s like the brain remembers that when it gets hurt it needs to do this - to protect itself maybe???

Lots of breaks - dark room eyes closed for ten mins every hour or so helped me be able to make it through the day with less impactful symptoms too . I’m sure you have tried and know most of this . The website Love Your Brain has a lot of helpful info ans resources on it

All the best

[Kate-Neuro]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your son's problems with sleeping, sadly it's not uncommon after brain injury.

It might help to set a routine - for him to get up at the same time and go to sleep at the same time each day, so he can reset his sleep pattern. Keeping noise in the bedroom area down and low light levels or darkening the room can help promote sleep, also not setting the temperature too high. Limit the caffeine and sugar before bedtime and if he likes to listen to music, it would help with relaxation and help calm him down.

It maybe a good idea to contact Headway for more information and if there's still a problem later, perhaps talk with his health care provider.

Take care

Kate.

[Painting-girl]

My sleep patterns can still be still pretty awful - after a tbi, the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system can behave oddly. My feeling originally was that it felt like I didn't have an 'off switch'. - things are better now, but the only thing that really works is boring old sleep hygiene - I'm beginning to accept that I will always have to pay attention to this and impose a sleep routine - or just cope with the whole night awake thing when it happens.

Practice meditation and relaxation techniques, to practice 'switching off'.

Look into John Leddy's work in Buffalo university in America - he v basically uses a graduated exercise regime to rehabilitate young athletes.

If he were my son, I personally wouldn't let him return to play.