East Montgomery Times

Researchers from the Minds Matter Concussion Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have identified self-reported sleep disturbances as a significant predictor of prolonged recovery from concussions. The study, recently published in Frontiers in Sleep, highlights the impact of sleep issues on recovery times for pediatric and adolescent patients.

Concussions often present various symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and nausea. However, sleep disturbances are also frequently reported by patients who experience changes in their sleep patterns post-injury. Despite being a common symptom, there has been limited research into whether these disturbances affect recovery outcomes.

The study utilized data from the Minds Matter Concussion Registry, which includes 4,469 young patients diagnosed with concussion who had clinical visits within 28 days of their initial injury. Of these patients, approximately two-thirds (67%) reported sleep disturbances during their initial visit to concussion specialty care.

Further analysis revealed that certain pre-existing medical conditions like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder increased the likelihood of reporting sleep disturbances after a concussion. Conversely, those with previous concussions were less likely to report such issues compared to first-time concussion sufferers. Additionally, lower Child Opportunity Index scores were linked to post-concussion sleep disturbances, indicating both physiological and environmental factors play a role.

"The rates of sleep disturbances reported in this study were higher than anything that’s been previously reported," stated James Wilkes, PhD, first author and research scientist at CHOP's Minds Matter Concussion Program. He noted this could be due to an inclusive examination of concussions from various causes beyond sports-related incidents. "Based on these findings, I recommend that clinicians should monitor sleep issues in children and adolescents who have suffered a concussion to better understand individual risk for prolonged recovery."

Christina L. Master, MD emphasized the importance for clinicians to focus on sleep symptoms: "As more clinicians focus on sleep symptoms, clinicians have a responsibility to be informed about the needs of their patients and treat sleep as an important indicator for recovery." She highlighted that "sleep is the second strongest predictor of prolonged recovery" and presents an opportunity for direct intervention.

The study received support from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Frontier Program.

Wilkes et al., “Sleep Disturbance after Pediatric and Adolescent Concussion.” Front Sports Act Living. Online March 19, 2024. DOI: 10.3389/frsle.2025.1528458.