Summarized by Esha Patel, DO
Concussions can occur after hitting your head really hard. Concussions can affect sleep. Problems with sleep can affect mood, function, and quality of life. This can make patients miss school, work, and extracurricular activities. The article “Exercising more than 150 minutes per week after concussion is associated with sleep quality improvements” published in The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation showed how exercise can help sleep.
The study split 36 kids into 2 groups. All the kids were under the age of 18 and had concussions in the past 3 weeks. They still had symptoms of a concussion. They all wore devices on their wrist that tracked their movement. One group exercised less than 150 minutes a week. The second group exercised more than 150 minutes a week. The study lasted 1 month. The kids did aerobic exercise which increases the oxygen the body uses. Examples of aerobic exercise are walking, running, swimming, dance, or bicycling.
Before and after the study, the kids filled out the “Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index” survey. Some questions included how many hours they slept, if they had trouble falling asleep, or if they felt tired during the day. Kids who did more than 150 minutes per week of aerobic exercise had better sleep after 1 month. It also helped decrease symptoms of low mood and dizziness. The biggest change was seen 5 weeks after the study started.
Exercise can be another tool to help patients with concussions sleep better. Patients should start aerobic exercise as early as possible after the concussion. They should aim to exercise more than 150 minutes per week.
