This past weekend at a wrestling tournament I got a minor concussion during my match. I got various suggestions from people for how to get better faster. Some people just said to take it easy and lay low for the rest of the weekend while others said to stay in a dark room with no electronics. The athletic trainer that originally saw me told me to try not to use electronics, as well as to ask a nurse at St. Joe’s. But, the doctor I saw did not mention avoiding electronics and the nurse that originally saw me actually suggested watching TV if I got bored waiting for the doctor that was on-call that day.
I decided to look it up and what I have found on numerous reliable websites is that the length of time you need to avoid vigorous activity and electronics depends on the severity of the concussion. For minor concussions, like mine, try to go about 24 hours without electronics and a couple days without vigorous exercise. For major concussions you may need to go up to about a week without both.
The best things to do to recover from concussions is to take it easy for at least a couple days. Try to avoid any vigorous activities like contact sports, and avoid loud venues. By this I mean no concerts or loud music, and avoid parties. When listening to music try to keep it quiet, so no death metal screamo stuff. If anything try to keep the amount of lyrics to a minimum as well, if your brain has too much to concentrate on it will take longer to heal.
For pain take over-the-counter acetaminophen (Tylenol). Aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) may actually make bruising worse, if there is any, because it may increase blood flow.
To relieve nausea, boil one cup of water and steep 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon in it. Strain and sip once cooled. Mint tea can also help. Steep about one tablespoon of dry mint leaves in one pint of hot water for 30 minutes. Strain the contents and drink. Some people will eat the mint leaves after drinking the tea to get the best results, according to grandmashomeremedies.com.
For the most part staying warm is a great help and just staying relaxed is the best way to get better soon.