Effects of sleep symptomatology post-concussion on return to sport in collegiate athletes.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the relationship between sleep-symptom severity and number of days to return to play following concussion in student-athletes.

DESIGN

Case series.

SETTING

A D1 NCAA university athletic department (institutional care).

PARTICIPANTS

The study enrolled 84 varsity athletes who suffered a sport-related concussion at the university from 2015 to 2021.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Prior concussion(s), total symptom burden, and sleep symptomatology (sleeping more, sleeping less, trouble falling asleep, drowsiness, and fatigue) scores as reported using Post-Concussion Symptom Scale from the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The number of days an athlete took to return to play following concussion.

RESULTS

Individuals who reported trouble falling asleep, sleeping less, fatigue, and drowsiness took significantly longer to return to play following concussion than individuals who did not report such symptoms (F1,102 = 34.12, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Sleep symptomatology present after concussion is predictive of days until return to sport. This study demonstrates the importance of sleep symptomatology post-concussion for athletes.