Oxidation occurs in the brain following a concussion, and contributes to further damage. Marijuana can also alleviate symptoms of nausea and vomiting from a concussion, but it is important to see a physician if any of these symptoms occurs. If you choose to use marijuana for a concussion, start low and go slow to see how you will react.
Can THC cause concussion injuries?
In a 2014 study published by the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, researchers found that concussion patients who had THC in their blood at the time when the accident occurred were less likely to die from a brain injury. (2)
What are the dangers of ignoring concussions?
The dangers of ignoring concussions. Treatment for concussion is simple -- physical and mental rest. Physical rest means don't train, don't run, don't bike, and don't shovel snow -- just rest for a few days, until symptoms settle down. Mental rest means don't go to classes and don't do homework.
What happens after you get a concussion?
While a concussion is a major health issue, it’s one that most often resolves itself. In the immediate aftermath of a patient receiving a concussion, physicians’ primary concerns relate to substantial brain injury, swelling or bleeding in the brain. Your physician may order CT scans or MRIs to rule these issues out.
How do drugs and alcohol affect a concussion?
Both drugs and alcohol can reduce the effectiveness of anti-depressant medication, too. Alcohol and illicit drugs can magnify the cognitive problems often caused by a concussion. Issues with concentration, memory, problem solving, learning new information, and thinking can be heightened by their use.
Can you use nicotine with a concussion?
After a concussion refrain from alcohol consumption, as well as substances like caffeine or nicotine. Since these substances affect the central nervous system, they can affect a person suffering from a mild concussion much more than it did before the injury. Get professional assistance.
Can someone with a concussion smoke?
Answer: Some people lose some or all of their sense of smell after a traumatic brain injury. However, there is no relationship between losing your ability to smell and the effects that marijuana have on your brain.
What should you avoid with a concussion?
4 things to avoid after a concussionExcessive physical activity. An increased heart rate may worsen your symptoms, dragging out your recovery.Strenuous mental activities. Reading, computer work, playing video games, texting and watching TV can overstimulate your brain, says Dr. ... Driving too soon. ... Pain relievers.
How long do concussions last?
Concussion recovery and treatment. Approximately 80 percent of concussions resolve over seven to 14 days, with an average of 10 days. People with concussions should never return to sports or other physical activity sooner than one week from sustaining the injury.
Why should you not sleep with a concussion?
Medical experts once warned that people should stay awake if they had a concussion. They based this advice on the theory that sleeping with a concussion could cause a person to fall into a coma or even die. However, medical experts now agree that it is safe for a person to sleep if they have a concussion.
What makes a concussion worse?
Ignoring your symptoms and trying to “tough it out” often makes symptoms worse. Rest is very important after a concussion because it helps the brain to heal.
Is it OK to listen to music with a concussion?
Take off from school, work, and social activities for 2-3 days. Get to bed early and sleep in the next day. Your body heals and grows while you sleep; the hours of sleep before midnight count double the hours after midnight in this regard! Listen to music, watch TV, talk with your friends, nap, eat.
How long does a concussion headache last?
Some people experience concussion-related headaches up to seven days after a brain injury.
How long do concussion symptoms last?
Symptoms of a concussion. Most concussion symptoms occur almost immediately after the injury (or a few hours or days after), and last from several days to a week. In extreme cases, concussion symptoms can last up to a year. Here are some common concussion symptoms:
What is a concussion?
In layman terms, concussion is basically a bruise on the brain. A more thorough definition is that a concussion is a head injury caused by a blow to the skull. The blow produces a swelling on the brain and temporarily stops certain brain functions. Concussion is the most common traumatic brain injury and can be also caused by a blow to ...
What is the death rate for a concussion?
The death risk rate for those with a mild concussion is 2%. This percentage goes up with the severity of the hit—it gets up to 30% for those with a more severe injury. Thankfully, most people recover just fine. That being said, there isn’t much you can do after you suffer a concussion: Usual directions are to get a lot of rest, ...
What happens when you hit a hard blow?
When we suffer a hard blow, the inertia slams the brain on the skull wall—this has the potential to cause physical damage and abnormal chemical reactions in the brain, which can lead to a traumatic brain injury. Most common causes of concussions in adults are car accidents, sports injuries and cycling accidents.
How to recover from brain injury?
All the injured brain needs to recover is to take some time off from physical and cognitive exertion. This includes abstaining from studying, working hard, socializing, exposure to bright light and loud noises and staying away from sports and workouts , at least for some time.
Can you get a prescription for marijuana for a concussion?
In North America you can get a prescription for medical marijuana for treating separate concussion symptom (except in Illinois where you can get a prescription for post-concussion syndrome symptoms). If you’re in Canada, be sure to use Strainblazer, our strain finder tool to help you refine your search.
Does cannabis help with post concussion symptoms?
Cannabis helps reduce post-concussion syndrome symptoms tweet this. Cannabis is famous for its positive effects on chronic pain, sleep, appetite and even depression, so it’s no wonder why people turn to it immediately after suffering a concussion.
When did the newspaper start reporting on concussions?
Newspaper articles dating back to 1905 establish parallels for the dangers of concussions in football injuries. The newspaper response was an appeal to reform football after dozens of players died from injuries obtained while playing.
Does CBD oil help with concussions?
Cannabidiol oils are another option and provide the same effects smoking we ed does for concussion symptoms. But CBD oils don’t have THC in them, meaning you get the same healing effects without the psychoactive high.
What are the effects of a concussion?
Effects are usually temporary but can include headaches and problems with concentration, memory, balance and coordination. Concussions are usually caused by a blow to the head.
What are the complications of a concussion?
Complications. Potential complications of concussion include: Post-traumatic headaches. Some people experience concussion-related headaches up to seven days after a brain injury. Post-traumatic vertigo. Some people experience a sense of spinning or dizziness for days, weeks or months after a brain injury.
Why is it so hard to recognize a concussion in a toddler?
Head trauma is very common in young children. But concussions can be difficult to recognize in infants and toddlers because they can't describe how they feel . Concussion clues may include:
How long do concussion symptoms last?
Symptoms can last for days, weeks or even longer . Common symptoms after a concussive traumatic brain injury are headache, loss of memory (amnesia) and confusion. The amnesia usually involves forgetting the event that caused the concussion. Physical signs and symptoms of a concussion may include:
How to prevent head injuries in children?
Keep your home well lit and your floors free of anything that might cause you to trip and fall. Falls around the home are a leading cause of head injury. Protecting your children. To help lessen the risk of head injuries to your children, block off stairways and install window guards.
How to protect yourself from head injury?
When bicycling, motorcycling, snowboarding or engaging in any recreational activity that may result in head injury, wear protective headgear. Buckling your seat belt.
How long does it take for a brain injury to cause dizziness?
Some people experience a sense of spinning or dizziness for days, weeks or months after a brain injury. Post-concussion syndrome. A small proportion of people (15% to 20%) may have symptoms including headaches, dizziness and thinking difficulties that persist beyond three weeks. If these symptoms persist beyond three months, ...
What are the short term effects of a concussion?
Short Term Effects of a Concussion. After suffering a concussion, many people experience headache and confusion. Some people experience loss of memory and are unable to remember the event. The amnesia may or may not follow loss of consciousness. In addition to loss of balance or dizziness, concussions may cause: Headache .
How long does it take for a concussion to go away?
Only about 20 percent of people might suffer from post-concussion syndrome, where they continue to experience symptoms after six weeks.
Why do children have concussions?
In addition to loss of balance or dizziness, concussions may cause: Head trauma is very common in young children, especially in toddlers who are learning to walk, run and play. Short-term effects may be difficult to recognize in children because youngsters may not be able to describe how they feel.
How do you know if you have a concussion?
These symptoms include: Trouble concentrating. Memory problems. Irritability and other personality changes. Sensitivity to light and noise. Sleep disturbances. Depression and other psychological problems.
How long does it take to see a doctor after a concussion?
To reduce the risk of short-term problems associated with concussions from turning into long-term problems, see a doctor within one to two days of a head injury, even if you or your child does not require emergency treatment.
What happens if a child hits his head?
Head trauma is very common in young children, especially in toddlers who are learning to walk, run and play. Short-term effects may be difficult to recognize in children because youngsters may not be able to describe how they feel. After a child hits his head, watch for non-verbal clues of a concussion, such as: 1 Appearing dazed 2 Listlessness 3 Tires out easily 4 Irritability, crankiness 5 Excessive crying 6 Loss of balance 7 Unsteady walking 8 Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
What are the effects of head trauma?
Nausea and vomiting. Fatigue. Blurred vision. Sensitivity to light and sound. Head trauma is very common in young children, especially in toddlers who are learning to walk, run and play. Short-term effects may be difficult to recognize in children because youngsters may not be able to describe how they feel.
What happens if you have a concussion?
If you have a concussion, drinking caffeine or alcohol, or using illicit drugs, can play havoc with your recovery.
How does a brain injury affect recovery?
Some important facts you should know: 1 High levels of caffeine can cause dehydration and disrupt your sleeping patterns, both of which can affect your recovery. Caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, sugary energy drinks, some sodas, and even chocolate. 2 Use of alcohol and illicit drugs may increase your risk of developing depression. In the first year after injury, brain injury patients are eight times more likely to develop depression. Both drugs and alcohol can reduce the effectiveness of anti-depressant medication, too. 3 Alcohol and illicit drugs can magnify the cognitive problems often caused by a concussion. Issues with concentration, memory, problem solving, learning new information, and thinking can be heightened by their use. 4 Illicit drugs may have impure or unknown substances in them that can put you at risk. Street drugs are always dangerous and shouldn’t be used. That’s even more significant for those with a concussion.
Is it dangerous to use street drugs?
Illicit drugs may have impure or unknown substances in them that can put you at risk. Street drugs are always dangerous and shouldn’t be used.
Is it safe to drink coffee after a concussion?
“The bottom line: Limit your caffeine to your normal pre-concussion routine, unless it’s excessive, and don’ t drink it late in the day.
Does caffeine affect sleep?
Some important facts you should know: High levels of caffeine can cause dehydration and disrupt your sleeping patterns, both of which can affect your recovery. Caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, sugary energy drinks, some sodas, and even chocolate.
How does a concussion affect sleep?
How a concussion might affect your sleep. When you have a concussion, you may feel more tired than usual or need to take brief naps throughout the day. A concussion can also affect your sleep in other ways. Common sleep issues with concussion include: trouble falling asleep. trouble staying asleep.
How long do symptoms last after a concussion?
Symptoms that linger for more than a few weeks can indicate post-concussion syndrome. This is rare if you’ve never had a concussion before, but you’ll want to see your provider for symptoms that persist for more than a week. Concussions are typically mild, but they can occasionally cause more serious complications.
How long after a concussion should you see a doctor?
Even without any symptoms of a serious concussion, it’s best to err on the side of caution. Children in particular should see a doctor within two days of any head injury other than a mild bump.
How long does it take to recover from a concussion?
trouble staying asleep. fatigue. feeling tired during the day. These sleep issues generally improve as your injury heals, though this can take up to a few weeks. If you’re still experiencing sleep issues a few weeks after a concussion, talk to your healthcare provider.
How long does it take to recover from a head injury?
your pupils aren’t dilated. In fact, experts now recognize rest as an essential part of recovering from a mild head injury, especially during the first three to five days. But if you don’t fit this criteria, see your healthcare provider right away.
What does it mean when a child has a head injury?
are confused, disoriented, or have mood changes. If a child with a head injury has any of the above symptoms, cries continuously, or refuses to eat or breastfeed when they normally would after any kind of head injury, seek immediate medical care. Last medically reviewed on June 14, 2019.
Can you drive after a concussion?
You’ll also want to avoid driving for a full day after a concussion. If your symptoms still haven’t improved, you may want to avoid driving even longer. Head injuries can delay your reaction speed, so you may be more likely to have an accident while you are still recovering from a concussion.
How long does it take for a concussion to get worse?
Sometimes, symptoms get worse during the next 24 hours. As a rule of thumb, be suspicious.
What to do if your son has a concussion?
If your son even suspects he has been concussed, urge him to get to a doctor, the sooner, the better. It's vital to treat concussion early, especially in school-age people. Otherwise, they can lose a semester or even a whole academic year. Right after a concussion, people are at much higher risk for further injury.
Can a concussion be seen with the naked eye?
It tends to be underreported because it's an "invisible injury," that is, it can't be seen with the naked eye , or even on an X-ray.
Do you have to hit your head to shake a bowl of Jell-O?
You don't actually have to hit your head -- you just have to be shaken up. To understand this, imagine shaking a bowl of Jell-O so hard that it wobbles and slaps against the sides of the bowl. Now imagine the Jell-O is the brain, and the bowl -- with rough, ridged edges -- is the skull.
Does Chris Henson have a concussion?
He has had several serious spills, with his head taking the brunt of the falls, but I don't know if he has actually had a concussion. He is going snowboarding for March break.
Can a concussion cause headaches?
This common form of brain injury temporarily disrupts mental function. If not treated, it can have nasty, long-term consequences. People with untreated concussion may suffer from headaches and fatigue -- sometimes for years. They aren't as sharp as they should be mentally and they can't focus.
Why is marijuana good for concussions?
The reasons marijuana and concussions may have a beneficial relationship to one another is because marijuana might be able to help reduce inflammation in the brain following an injury.
How do you know if you have a concussion?
Some of the symptoms of a concussion can include a headache or a feeling of pressure in your head, temporarily losing consciousness, confusion, amnesia, or dizziness. Other symptoms may include slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, or feeling tired or dazed.
What happens when you hit your head?
A concussion is a form of a traumatic brain injury that’s caused by a hit to the head, or a rapid movement that leads the head and brain to move back and forth quickly. This sudden movement of the head can lead to bouncing or twisting of the brain, and that can then lead to chemical changes in the brain, as well as damage to the brain cells.
How long does it take for a concussion to show up?
For some people, the symptoms of a concussion show up immediately following the incident that caused it, while for other people there may be a delay and it can even take days for symptoms to appear. There are many possible complications ranging from headaches to vertigo for months after an accident.
Does marijuana help with swelling?
There was a Tel Aviv study showing that small doses of THC, which is a psychoactive component of marijuana, helped reduce swelling in animals. The U.S. government also feels that marijuana may serve as a neuroprotective agent, and there is currently a federal patent on nonpsychoactive CBD for use as a neuroprotective agent.
Is concussion a controversial topic?
Concussions have become a widely discussed and even controversial topic in recent years, as many professional athletes and retired athletes have come out about their experiences with concussions and the list of health problems they’ve had as a result of having concussions. With the ongoing discussion about concussions has come a specific topic ...
Is CBD good for concussions?
CBD can also act as an antidepressant, at least in rodent studies, and it tends to work more quickly than many traditional pharmaceutical antidepressants so marijuana could be helpful for people with concussions in both direct and indirect ways.
Overview
Symptoms
- The signs and symptoms of a concussion can be subtle and may not show up immediately. Symptoms can last for days, weeks or even longer. Common symptoms after a concussive traumatic brain injury are headache, loss of memory (amnesia) and confusion. The amnesia usually involves forgetting the event that caused the concussion. Physical signs and symptoms …
Causes
- Your brain has the consistency of gelatin. It's cushioned from everyday jolts and bumps by cerebrospinal fluid inside your skull. A violent blow to your head and neck or upper body can cause your brain to slide back and forth forcefully against the inner walls of your skull. Sudden acceleration or deceleration of the head, caused by events such as a car crash or being violently …
Risk Factors
- Activities and factors that may increase your risk of a concussion include: 1. Falling, especially in young children and older adults 2. Participating in a high-risk sport, such as football, hockey, soccer, rugby, boxing or other contact sport 3. Participating in high-risk sports without proper safety equipment and supervision 4. Being involved in a motor vehicle collision 5. Being involve…
Complications
- Potential complications of concussion include: 1. Post-traumatic headaches.Some people experience concussion-related headaches up to seven days after a brain injury. 2. Post-traumatic vertigo.Some people experience a sense of spinning or dizziness for days, weeks or months after a brain injury. 3. Persistent post-concussive symptoms (post-concussiv...
Prevention
- Some tips that may help you to prevent or minimize your risk of head injury include: 1. Wearing protective gear during sports and other recreational activities. Make sure the equipment fits properly, is well maintained and is worn correctly. Follow the rules of the game and practice good sportsmanship. When bicycling, motorcycling, snowboarding or engaging in any recreational act…