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• Posted March 11, 2025

Good Sleep Accelerates Kids' Concussion Recovery

Sleep is a critical component for concussion recovery among kids, a new study reports.

Limiting naps during the day and getting about seven hours of sleep each night in the first week after a concussion appears to speed up recuperation, researchers reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Getting seven hours of sleep each night doubled a child’s chances of recovering quickly during the first week after a concussion, researchers also found.

On the other hand, every hour spent napping during the daytime decreased by 12% the likelihood their concussion symptoms would diminish within the first week, results show.

“Youth who sleep more during the day or who sleep too much or too little each day may be at risk for slower concussion symptom resolution,” said lead researcher Jingzhen Ginger Yang, principal investigator with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Center for Injury Research and Policy in Columbus, Ohio.

“Good sleep hygiene, including limiting daytime sleep/naps and instead focusing on getting enough sleep at night, could help speed concussion recovery,” she added in a news release.

About 2 million kids younger than 18 suffer a concussion each year in the U.S., researchers said in background notes.

It’s common for kids recuperating from a concussion to have bad sleep, with up to 34% reporting excessive sleep, loss of sleep or trouble falling asleep, researchers added.

For the study, researchers tracked sleep patterns among 78 kids 11 to 17 who’d suffered a concussion. The average age of the kids was 14.

The team used wearable devices to collect data on the quantity and quality of sleep kids got in the first week after a concussion.

“We know sleep is an important part of concussion recovery, yet youth often experience sleep disturbances during this period,” researcher Dr. Amy Valasek, a sports medicine physician at Nationwide Children's, said in a news release. “This study showed that youth with concussion may benefit from monitoring sleep quality.”

Compared to kids who slept fewer than five hours a day, those who slept five to eight hours a day experienced earlier resolution of their concussion symptoms, results show.

What's more, the optimal amount of sleep for concussion recovery was seven hours a night, researchers said.

Results indicate that parents can play a crucial role in their children’s recovery from a concussion, by monitoring their sleep and encouraging good sleep hygiene, researchers said.

“It is vital for clinicians to actively engage in counseling pediatric patients and provide guidance on appropriate sleep hygiene to aid in concussion recovery among youth,” Valasek said.

However, researchers noted that larger studies involving more kids are needed to verify these results.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about concussions among children.

SOURCE: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, news release, March 4, 2025