Examining the association between sleep modifiers and recovery time following sports-related concussion

Although previous researchers support the association of sleep disturbances negatively impacting recovery time from sports-related concussion (SRC), the degree of impact sleep disturbances have on recovery time from SRC is not well-defined. This study uses the presence and absence of sleep modifiers in the Concussion Clinical Profiles Screening tool to compare and quantify recovery time from SRC in a preadolescent, adolescent, and young adult sample. We examined patient records data obtained between August 2019 and December 2021 with inclusion criteria (1) injury date <30 days from initial evaluation, (2) SRC diagnosis, and (3) completion of treatment. Patients (sample median age 15.4 (14.3, 17.1)) were grouped based on the presence or absence of sleep modifier. Adjusting for other risk factors of prolonged recovery time (i.e., vestibular primary clinical profile, personal/family history of migraines, and personal history of anxiety/depression), the presence of sleep modifiers substantially increased recovery time by 1.45-fold (p<0.001).