
Concussions are injuries to the brain that can happen in sports, especially in contact sports. They can have a long-term impact on a person’s memory and mental functioning.
Keeping athletes safe is the best way to prevent concussions in sports. This includes preventing helmet-to-helmet contact, playing with their head up, and following appropriate tackling techniques.
Wear the Right Equipment
In sports, wearing the right equipment can prevent injuries that keep you from playing your best. It can also reduce your risk of serious injury if you do receive one.
Whether playing football, baseball, or lacrosse, proper helmets are essential to protecting your head. Helmets spread the force of any impact to your head and can lower your risk for concussions, broken bones, or other serious injuries.
You should always wear a helmet for soccer, football, hockey, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, or any other sport that requires it. Regardless of age, wear a helmet that fits properly and is in good condition.
In contact sports, like wrestling and volleyball, athletes often get concussions during takedowns or other sudden movements that hit them directly in the head. These can result in brain damage and long-lasting effects.
Know the Rules
The best way to avoid concussions is to practice safely and play the game correctly. That means knowing the rules in your sport and heeding your coaches’ and instructors’ advice regarding what they say, what they don’t say, and what equipment you need to wear to be safe.
The most important rule is never to play a sport until you fully recover from the effects of your last concussion. That’s because returning to play too soon after a concussion can lead to second impact syndrome, which can result in long-lasting problems with your brain, including memory loss and headaches.
As with all things athletic, there are many rules and regulations governing any given sport. While you might only understand some of them, they are there to keep everyone safe. That includes you, your coach, and your teammates. The more you learn about the finer points of a game and how to practice safely, the better you’ll perform on the court, in the gym, or on the road. With some planning, you’ll be ready to make the most of your time in sports and have a happy and healthy season!
Practice Safely
One of the best ways to prevent concussions is to practice safely. This includes knowing the rules of play and wearing protective gear.
For sports like football, soccer, and hockey, preventing concussions in sports is essential to wear a helmet that fits properly and won’t move when you shake your head. Also, make sure you take a break from playing when you feel tired or run out of energy.
To keep hydrated, drink the recommended amount of water daily. If you’re participating in a sport that involves sweating, be sure to weigh yourself before and after exercise to determine your exact water intake requirements.
Staying hydrated isn’t always easy, but it’s essential to keeping yourself and your patients healthy. For nurse practitioners, you are balancing the need to deliver high-quality care with keeping their staff and patients safe. To help nurses achieve this balance, Relias offers a suite of resources that empowers you to expand and hone your patient safety skills. From the newest tech to a collection of intuitive, expert insights that can be easily incorporated into your daily practice, we have the tools you need to move patient safety forward.
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is essential for everyone, but it’s especially critical for athletes. Whether playing a game or training for a big race, being dehydrated can lead to cramps, fatigue, and other serious problems that could jeopardize your performance.
Athletes can become dehydrated for several reasons, but a lack of water often causes it. Athletes must be hydrated before and after a workout or competition.
To avoid dehydration, it is recommended that athletes drink 16 ounces of fluid two to three hours before exercising, then another eight ounces 15 minutes before the activity.
Additionally, it’s important to limit or avoid caffeine. Caffeine acts as a diuretic, which means it will cause your body to lose water.
Athletes can also take the extra step of consuming an electrolyte-containing beverage to replace fluids and electrolytes lost during exercise. These include Pedialyte, sports drinks, and even fruit juices. These drinks are often much more flavorful than plain water and can help rehydrate your body faster.
Get Enough Sleep
Athletes who don’t get enough sleep will have a more challenging time recovering from injuries. They may also feel groggy the next day, making it more difficult to focus on their game.
In addition, not getting enough sleep increases the risk of developing mental health issues such as depression. Athletes should take the necessary steps to improve their sleeping habits, such as going to bed reasonably and getting up consistently each morning.
According to research, athletes who extend their sleep by 10 hours a night have improved performance in numerous areas related to their sport. For example, a Stanford study found that men’s basketball players who slept 10 hours a night improved their half-court sprint times and free throw shooting accuracy by at least 9%.
Another study of college women’s tennis players found that increased snooze time led to increased scoring in matches and improved hitting accuracy by 42%. Similarly, swimmers who slept longer than a typical night had improvements in reaction times off diving blocks and turn times.