Bad sleep due to prolonged convalescence after concussion in children

(Reuters Health) – A new sleep suggests sleeping well every night after a sport-related concussion.

Young athletes who slept well after a concussion were more likely to recover in less than two weeks, while those who slept poorly were more likely to experience symptoms for 30 days or more, according to a study presented at the conference. the American Academy of Pediatrics in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Jane Chung, pediatric sports medicine specialist at Texas Scottish Rite Children's Hospital in Dallas, Texas, does not know if lack of sleep has been a cause or consequence of more severe symptoms in children who sleep poorly after their injury. told Reuters Health by email.

"Paediatricians and health care professionals who care for young athletes should assess the quality of sleep at the first clinic visit following concussions to predict people at risk for prolonged recovery," he said. Chung.

The researchers completed a questionnaire called the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. On the basis of the results, the children were classified into two groups: 261 good sleepers and 95 bad sleepers.

At the follow-up visits three months later, both groups of patients improved, but the good sleepers continued to have much better symptoms and sleep scores.

"This study highlights the importance of sleep as a critical factor in recovery from a concussion," says Dr. Gerard Goia, Head of the Department of Pediatric Neuropsychology of the National Children's Health System in Washington, DC, who was not involved in the research.

"These findings are entirely consistent with our own clinical experience in treating children and adolescent victims of a concussion, as lack of sleep is an important limiting factor of recovery, "said Dr. Goia.

Given the size of its sample and its results, the study is highly suggestive, but its observational structure can only provide limited information on causality, says Dr. Goia.

In a notable box, researchers found that girls slept worse than boys. "This gap could be due to the higher prevalence of depression among girls, but recent evidence suggests that it could go beyond psychosocial disparities. This may be related to gender differences in sleep biology. More research is needed in this area, "said Chung.

This line of research may have to take the bench for the moment, however. Instead, Chung's team is studying the effect of sleep quality interventions on concussion recovery.

"Future research should focus on identifying specific interventions to improve sleep quality, so that we can bring back our athletes to do what they like," Chung said.

SOURCE: bit.ly/2SQD1bx, AAP National Conference and Exhibition 2018.