why should you only sleep in short intervals after suffering a concussion?

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why should you only sleep in short intervals after suffering a concussion?

In: Biology

Anonymous 0 Comments

Any changes in mental state following a head injury could indicate something a lot more severe than a concussion, it could be an ongoing bleed.

This does two things, firstly, if blood isn’t getting where it is meant to be, then you could be starving an area of the brain of oxygen, causing a hypoxic brain injury. Secondly, the blood goes somewhere, and because the skull is a closed system, the blood starts pooling, and increasing the pressure inside the skull. Eventually, this can lead to the brain stem being forced out through the base of the skull in a condition called “coning”. Prognosis for anyone who gets this far is very poor.

Careful monitoring of mental state gives a good indication of whether any problems are developing. Red flag warning signs after a head injury include:

-Severe headache

-Nausea/Vomiting

-Abnormal drowsiness

-Visual disturbances

-Loss of balance/coordination

-Memory loss

-Becoming unarousable/unconscious

-Stroke symptoms

-Straw coloured discharge from nose/ears

-Neck stiffness

Anyone who has had a significant head injury should not be left alone for several hours after the injury, and if any of these symptoms develop contact emergency medical services.