i understand rest is needed when the brain starts to get to fatigued sometimes there is no other option but in my opinion whats been helping me has been not really resting and taking my brain and body to the point where it feels really off to the point of not being able to function normal then resting.

this maybe true or not but it would seem that after the injury it would be best to expose your brain and body to loud noises, bright lights and physical work like it used to be instead of shutting it out letting it forget what the world is like. it seems like it gets your body back in its original mode and brain back in its original state and each time and each day you push it you maybe able to push it further and further to the point where a whole day doesnt even bother you anymore. i noticed after alot of rest early in my recovery when i exposed myself to things i havent in awhile i was having a hard time. im thinking just to expose myself to anything and everything and let my brain process it so its not strange next time it see's it

i think it helps mentally too knowing you are actually out there doing things. i think over exposing yourself as time goes on maybe help heal.

i maybe wrong though it is different for everyone

This doctor is one of the best concussion specialists in Canada:

“We want people to rest cognitively and physically after a concussion,” added Dr. Tator, founder of ThinkFirst Canada. “We feel you get the best recovery if you follow a graduated program, after a concussion.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/...98/?cmpid=rss1

The brain is not like any other tissue in the body. The brain needs rest or at the minimum moderated stimulation. Stress cause chemical toxins to build up reducing the brains ability to recover. The brain does not grow new neurons. It can grow new axons and dendrites but these take a long time.

Those who do not have the ability to moderate stimulation may get better slowly but their improvement will be much less and slower.

Maybe this analogy will help. You have a bucket fill of contaminated water. You can clean up the bucket two ways. You can put a hose of clean water running slowing into the bucket. Slowly, the contamination will lessen. It will never get removed completely. This would be like trying to recover without removing the stress factors.

You can also stir up the water so the contamination is suspended then dump the water out and refill it. This would be like reducing the stress factors and letting the brain detoxify with this low stress environment then restarting to regain the ability to tolerate new stimulation. Low stress (quiet rest) with good nutrition will help the brain detoxify.

Even a scrape on your arm will never heal or very slowly heal if you keep picking the scab off and exposing the wound to contagions.

I hope this makes sense.

At the extreme, doctors will put a severely brain injured patient into a drug induced coma to prevent the brain from being stimulated so the brain can heal. Then, after the patient is allowed to regain consciousness, stimulation will be increased slowly. The concept of reading to or talking to a comatose patient is based on the idea that the brain will respond to "familiar, low stress" stimulations in a beneficial way.

I questioned this briefly when I was told by my doctor that I needed to rest and not do anything physically taxing. I did as she ask, stayed at home did nothing that would stress my mind or body and in general was as easy as possible on my self. As I started to feel better I thought I would just start doing things as I used to one day. That was a serious mistake it was like I returned right back to the day after my accident. The stress I placed on myself was more than I could deal with. There is good advice in the rest till your brain has had a chance to recover. Which is what I am doing now. When it has and my doctor has told me I am god to go I will start working on building my body back up to normal.

I agree with the no stimulation rule. I wish I had known then what I do now. For any of the concussions I had, no one told me that I should rest cognitively.

And for this last one, I was back to driving, and going to school and working one day later. I paid for that when I graduated the academy in February, and ended up having to go on disability for 6 weeks from work.

I would SO totally go back and take time to do NOTHING so that I would not be where I am today. I am like that contaminated water bucket. sad day. BUT I am recovering, just very SLlllloWly.

Hugs to you in your journey

I think it's whatever works best for the person really...

I've been resting all day today, because I went back to work for all of 4 days last week and yesterday, I'm knackered, this is the first time I've really been up today. And I went to be at 7pm yesterday.
I hate feeling so helpless, and certainly mentally felt better while I was working and being 'me'.
I just need to learn how to pace myself properly (2 and half weeks off, back to work for nearly two full weeks hasn't worked - I stupidly thought I could just go back when I felt almost normal again..)

I suppose it's whatever makes that person feel better... I do think rest is the key but balanced with mental stimulation..

I agree with everyone about the rest, in fact it took me a LOOONG time for that to sink in and I did not start to improve until I started resting more and doing less. Looking back on the last 2 years, rest was the most important thing of all the things I tried.

I still have setbacks, but guess what?...Only when I am not rested!

Mark's analogy was great. Sometimes I think of it as a broken bone with a cast on it...you are forced to rest that bone until it heals, the cast keeps it constantly resting while it heals. We have to do a self imposed cast and through trial and error learn how much is too much.