I love how more and more information about concussions is coming out. How common they are in sports, the symptoms and the side effects. One thing we don’t often hear though, is how most concussions actually happen in regular life, not sports. That means most people don’t know how easy it is to receive one, when to go to the doctor, and what to do when they have one. They don’t know how to recognize the symptoms or what to do about them. They also don’t realize there are some alternative ways to find relief from concussion symptoms.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional nor do I have any formal training. This information is to share, what I found worked for me. You need to consult your doctor if you have a concussion and make sure you do what is right for you and your situation.
A concussion is an injury to your brain, that no one can see, because it is hidden in our skull. Our brain is the most important organ in our bodies. It doesn’t just help us make decisions, process information and think, but it also runs our entire body. Your organs, muscles, eyes, hearing, pain, it controls your moods, your sleep and how you handle stress. Yet, we take it for granted. We don’t realize how our brain health before an injury, can affect a concussion after. We don’t realize that our injured brain is strained, just by keeping our body working. You think it’s okay to go back to work right away, to watch TV, to use the computer or even simple multi-tasking with things like listening to the radio while driving. You can’t put a cast on your head, so it is up to you to help your brain.
Here are two alternative ways to find relief from concussion symptoms. They either decreases symptoms or help to alleviate them.
Alternative Ways to Find Relief from Concussion Symptoms
Meditation
Meditation is something everyone can do, to help your brain health before a possible concussion. It is also amazing in helping you after. When you have a concussion, your brain gets overloaded easily. Very easily. Over-stimulation happens everywhere in our life, but most of the time we don’t even realize it. Until you have a concussion. Over-stimulation can cause you more pain, mood changes, inability to deal with everyday stressors, etc. Also, being in constant pain, becomes one of the main things, or only thing, you think about. Meditation, in its simplest form, allows you to sit still for a length of time, in a quiet space, and concentrate on your breath. It allows the brain to calm down, be more rational, and gives the ability to think of other things. Several different medical professionals recommended meditation to me.
Flotation Therapy (a.k.a Sensory Deprivation)
I actually found flotation therapy by accident, but it became one of my ‘go to’ treatments. *This therapy is a bit more difficult because it involves your entire body. Depending on any other injuries you have as well as your concussion, it might not be a good option for you.* Having someplace I could go for one hour of absolute darkness and silence, was amazing for me. It let my brain enter a form of meditation I couldn’t access on my own, and it calmed it down better than anything else I’ve ever experienced.
*Having a brain that is on overdrive and being in an enclosed space where there is absolute darkness and silence while floating in about 11 inches of salt water, is not for everyone though. It can bring any fears you have to the surface, and it could even cause panic attacks.*
I found in the first four visits, I struggled to calm down. I was convinced my time was up, I couldn’t wait for my time to be up, I became worried I would fall asleep and drown, and I felt I couldn’t breathe because of the humidity level. Obviously I could breath, nothing bad happened, and the music always came on to let me know my time was up. After the fourth visit though, those issues never came up again. I even spoke so highly of floating to my massage therapist, he recommended it to another of his clients. Someone who had just suffered two concussions, within two months. I ended up meeting this other person in the office one day, and he was as happy as I was with the flotation therapy.
If you, or someone you know, is suffering from a concussion, just know that it will get better over time. These two alternative ways to find relief from concussion symptoms aren’t the only things you can do to help. There are also tricks to use on a daily basis, so speak with your doctor or community concussion clinic.
