Do we have to stay awake in case of head injury? | COMMON DOUBTS S01E03 (Listen for free on Spotify)

There is no benefit to keeping someone awake after a concussion, and it is no longer recommended. In fact, people with a concussion need to sleep to recover. In the days before head CT scanning was widely available, the only way to know if someone had life-threatening brain bleeding (which occurs in less than 0.1 percent of those with concussion) was to observe him for a decrease in his level of alertness that resulted from the blood pressing on vital brain structures. This usually happened within six hours of injury. It was thought that if you could keep someone awake you could prevent him from lapsing into coma, which of course did not work.

One low-tech tool that we still use to assess head injury patients is called the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), which measures the brain's ability to function. It has been around for a very long time. The measurements take into account the patient's best responses to directions, touch, and his surroundings.1

They include how the patient responds to voice and pain. In an unconscious patient, assessing the severity of a potential head injury means having to wake him up. In fact, how easy it is to wake him up is part of the Glasgow Coma Scale.

Anyone getting very sleepy within six hours of a brain injury should be brought immediately to an emergency department for a head CT scan

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0VA8ctSxJwC4N6HCGJn4wU?si=LGIIalg7RMWEyyQD-GMA_A

YouTube -