Brain concussion is a brain injury that can happen when the brain moves back and forth in the skull. Concussions are often caused by falls, collisions with objects like helmets, or any other type of impact to the head. The brain has no pain receptors, so most people do not know they have suffered a brain concussion until hours or days after it happened. Many different symptoms can be experienced after brain trauma, but some of the most common ones include headache (especially severe), nausea/vomiting (early on), confusion/disorientation (in general), and sleepiness (late). This article discusses four ways to stay safe from brain concussion:
Wear Protective Gear
Several different pieces of brain concussion protection gear can be purchased and worn during sports: helmets, mouth guards/defensive shields (for the face), goggles (to protect from flying objects like hockey pucks), and more. Many people assume they only need to wear protective equipment when playing certain dangerous or high-impact sports, such as football or ice hockey. This is not true! Research has shown that wearing a helmet for any kind of sport significantly reduces brain concussions by 60%.
Avoid High Contact Sports
Even though these sports can be beneficial to brain development, it’s crucial for parents and coaches to protect the brain by keeping kids away from high-contact sports. This means no wrestling or football during elementary school years!
Recognize The Symptoms
If you have a brain concussion, there are some easy ways to tell: First of all, if someone has hit their head hard enough that they’ve lost consciousness (for even just a few seconds), this is considered brain damage because the brain ‘shuts off’ when unconsciousness occurs due to trauma. Other symptoms include headaches, nausea; vomiting; confusion; loss of balance/coordination, blurred vision/double vision (eyes do not work together correctly); ringing in ears (tinnitus); memory loss/problems concentrating or thinking; slurred speech; irritability/excessive tiredness. People who suffer brain injuries are not always aware that they have one, so it’s essential to recognize the symptoms to get help right away!
Try To Prevent Falls
Getting brain injuries from falls is very common, as the brain does not have any protection and can be easily damaged. Precautions such as using a step ladder to reach high objects, checking your footing before walking across slippery surfaces or going downstairs, removing tripping hazards from around the house/yard are all simple ways to avoid this type of brain injury.
To conclude, brain injuries are serious and should be treated as soon as possible. The brain controls everything in the body, so getting help for a brain injury is essential to prevent long-term problems or death!
