Why is it dangerous to sleep right after a concussion?

Question

I know you may never wake up. don't tell me that. can you gimme a more scientific answer? grazie

Answer 1

It is an "old wive's tale" that it is dangerous to sleep after a concussion. The processes that are dangerous to the patient (subdural hematoma, diffuse axonal injury, epidural hematoma, intraparenchimal bleeding, etc.) are going to happen whether the patient is awake or not. These cannot be slowed or stopped by keeping a patient awake.

However, the best way to begin assessing for these entities is to monitor the mental status and level of consciousness of the patient. Obviously you cannot do this with a sleeping patient. So, you have to wake them up to do recheck them.

We would prefer that they are awake when they arrive in the ER for evaluation; this helps clarify the clinical picture during initial assessment of the patient with a head injury.

Answer 2

I take it that you have had concussion before? Any head injury can be serious regardless of how you feel at the time and afterwards. He in NZ we have just had a longboarded killed - and he was wearing all the right safety equipment - and it was just a freak accident. Think how his family is feeling right now! You might just have a headache now, but you do not know what is going on inside your head. You do now say how hard you hit yourself, but if you reckon that you have concussion, you had better get yourself off to either the doctor or ER for a check up. There are many signs and symptoms with a concussion, and you really cannot diagnose yourself. If you want to take the risk of going to sleep tonight - fine, but my advice to you would be to go get checked out. If there is nothing wrong, then at least you have peace of mind, if there is something wrong it will be attended to. Good luck!!

Answer 3

to get a concussion you have to wack your head pretty hard. This causes swelling in the brain and maybe bleeding. Your brain doesn't have room to swell (the skull prevents it). The only place it has to go after it gets so big is out the hole in the skull were the spine enters. This shoves part of the brain out and cuts off blood to the rest of the brain and ends in death. If someone goes to sleep after the injury no one will notice the signs that you are in trouble so they won't get you help and you will die. If you stay awake you can be watched to make sure you don't start acting weird and showing signs of the swelling before you wind up dead

Answer 4

It's not that sleeping itself could cause things to get worse.

The problem with sleeping immediately after a head injury is that it prevents other people around you from being able to monitor your neurological status. If you hit your head, and then an hour later you start having neurological symptoms (could be a sign that your head injury was much more serious and possibly life-threatening than you originally thought), then you or someone around you would freak out and seek help that could save your life. If you're asleep, these signs could go devastatingly unnoticed.

Answer 5

I believe that you can go into an unconscious state or a coma, and this could be avoided. You should go and be checked right away and have a medical person look at your pupils. They will be certain to give you medication so that the injury you sustained will not encumber you.

Answer 6

concussion could lead to coma.v want to wake him up from concussion in order to find out if he's ok n normal b4 the DR arrival.

Answer 7

Your breathing center may be damaged, you may have a blood clot lodged somewhere, a fracture, and possible neurological damage. You need to have your eyes checked for pupil size and dilation.....headaches....if you need more reasons, ask your Dr.
P.S. "gimme" should be 'give me' Best wishes

Answer 8

That is the scientific answer

Answer 9

im nit sure i think its just a myth. but if someone is sudenly more tried then you should get them to a doctor

Answer 10

you can die in your sleep, that means you may never wake up.