Can You Sleep After You Hit Your Head or Get a Concussion?

A concussion is a mild type of traumatic brain injury typically caused by a sharp blow or bump to the head that can sometimes lead to serious complications. After a concussion, you may wonder if you should stay awake after hitting your head.

Medical professionals used to think that people with concussions should stay awake to prevent them from slipping into a coma. However, we now understand that sleeping after a concussion is not associated with the risk of coma. However, seeing a healthcare provider before falling asleep is essential to assess if your injury is severe.

This article explains what a concussion is, including the symptoms and what it means to become sleepy. It discusses what the research says about sleeping after a concussion, how sleep is more likely to benefit than harm you, and when to see a healthcare provider.

When Can You Sleep After a Concussion?

People used to believe that it could be dangerous to sleep after a concussion. However, it is now understood that sleeping can help you recover from your injury more effectively. That said, it is important to have an evaluation from a healthcare provider first to make sure there are no worrying signs that might indicate more serious brain trauma.

Some healthcare providers say you can let a potentially concussed person fall asleep if they were previously awake and able to hold a conversation and are not showing signs of a concussion, such as dilated pupils or trouble walking.

Others feel strongly that all head injuries should be assessed by a healthcare professional. They might also recommend checking in a few times to see if the sleeping person with a concussion is breathing regularly, which doesn’t require waking them up.

Concussion Symptoms and Causes

A concussion can be caused by a blow to the head from a fall, a hit, or being in a car accident. When it happens, your brain moves suddenly inside your skull, and it can twist or bounce around.

That kind of trauma stretches and changes neurons (types of brain cells) and can lead to disruptions in brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that make it hard for your neurons to communicate with each other.

For a traumatic brain injury, concussions are considered mild. That's primarily because they're rarely life-threatening. Even so, they should always be considered serious medical events because they cause an immediate but temporary change in mental status or level of consciousness.

The common symptoms of a concussion include:

• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sleepiness
• Confusion, memory, or attention troubles
• Temporary loss of consciousness
• Dizziness
• Blurred or double vision
• Noise or light sensitivity
• Irritability or other mood changes
• Mental fog or feeling "not right"

Sleep-Related Symptoms of Concussion

Concussions can cause some symptoms that are directly related to sleep. It’s common for someone with a concussion to feel tired or have a hard time staying awake within minutes of the injury, and symptoms may linger while they recover. 

Other symptoms may take a few days to show up or become apparent. One of those potential symptoms is a change in sleep patterns. Some people, after a concussion, will sleep a lot more than usual, and it may be hard to wake them up. Others may have a hard time falling asleep at all, or they may wake up frequently.

Tips for Getting Rest After a Concussion

Sleep is an important part of healing, so you should get plenty of rest after a concussion. However, difficulty sleeping is a symptom of concussion, and after headaches, it is the most commonly reported symptom.

If you have sleep issues that linger after the first few days of healing, you may want to try the following to get better sleep:

• Maintain a consistent exercise routine.
• Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
• Set aside at least eight hours of sleep each night.
• Reduce alcohol intake.
• Avoid naps or keep them short and early in the day so they don’t interfere with sleeping that night.
• Avoid caffeine, especially late in the day.
• Keep your bedroom dark (avoid light from electronics, too).

If your sleep problems don’t go away within a few weeks of the concussion, talk to your healthcare provider about it.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

After any head injury, especially in a child or someone who’s had prior concussions, it’s a good idea to get checked out by a medical professional. If symptoms are absent or mild, consider going to urgent care or making an appointment with your regular healthcare provider that day.

Symptoms that are more severe warrant a trip to the emergency room.

Activities to  Avoid After Hitting Your Head

For up to 48 hours after a concussion, you should avoid activities that involve reaction time, multitasking, and working memory. Here are some things to avoid after a concussion:

Sports: First and foremost, you should avoid any sports or other activity that poses a risk of hitting your head again since a subsequent concussion poses a much greater risk of serious complications.

Screen Time: Studies have shown that reducing screen time can help speed healing from concussion. In one study, participants with a concussion who did not use screens for 48 hours after their injury recovered in three and a half days versus eight days in those who did not stop using screens.

Driving: Because reaction time can be hindered after a concussion, it is unsafe to drive or operate other heavy machinery after sustaining a concussion.

Emerging evidence shows that returning to a moderate activity level 48 hours after a concussion can help speed recovery.

Summary

Sleeping isn't always dangerous when you have a concussion, but any injury to your brain should be taken seriously. You won't slip into a coma or die if you go to sleep after getting a concussion.

It's safe for a concussed person to sleep if they are awake and can hold a conversation and they don't have obvious concussion symptoms. You'll likely want to allow for plenty of sleep so the body's natural healing process can begin.