Your health at the time you get the concussion can unsurprisingly have a big impact on your recovery. Even if you don’t have any obvious health conditions, it could be worth getting your blood checked to make sure you’re not low on any essential minerals or vitamins, and there are no background health conditions.
I thought I had nothing to worry about in this regard as I was feeling on top form when I fell on my head. However, after a few years I discovered that having low iron levels can be an issue, and that mine were indeed low (even though I eat red meat most days!). It’s important to deal with this as having anaemia, or even just low ferritin levels (iron deficiency without anaemia), can produce concussion-like symptoms all on its own.
Obviously it would be nice if the NHS had a protocol of checking this kind of thing routinely if you’re having a slow recovery, but you’ll probably have to ask your doctor specifically.
Diet
I’m not going to get into this as there are a million websites on healthy eating. However, one thing that various brain websites mention is the importance of eating plenty of protein, as your brain needs this to recover. I’ve also found that all my symptoms get worse when I’m hungry, so eating regularly might be helpful. Of course, don’t eat too much sugary/starchy food or processed food. I’m a personal fan of snacking on dark chocolate (70% cocoa) and almonds – a delicious protein-rich combination. (Dark chocolate is actually quite good for you as it contains a lot of antioxidants. Milk chocolate does not.)
The brainlash blog has a bit more information on eating well for brain injury recovery.
Supplements?
I’ve been taking some supplements which research seems to suggest can be helpful for supporting brain recovery. I have no idea if they have helped me or not. If you do take some, apparently it’s best to take them in the morning (usually with food, but check the individual supplement instructions for guidance) as the supplements help boost brain function, so there’s less point in taking them in the evening when you’re winding down.
Neuromind by VitaBiotics contains loads of things which are meant to be good for your brain.
Fish oils/omega 3s are supposed to be good for the brain and nervous system, according to loads of websites.
Vitamin D is something I take every day anyway because in the UK we cannot get enough of the right kind of sunlight (UVB) onto our skins even in the summer to make optimal amounts of vitamin D and it’s very important for our health, including our immune system, in so many ways.
Lion’s mane mushrooms were suggested to me by a couple of people as there are some studies which show they help nerve repair and growth. These studies use rat tissue and as far as I know there aren’t any human studies yet. They are perfectly safe to eat though. You can get them in health food shops in the form of a powder to add to food – I put it in porridge as it masked the horrible flavour, or you can buy whole dried mushrooms to cook with (there are several UK growers). Maybe they taste better as whole mushrooms than when powdered.
Creatine is something I haven’t tried yet but it’s recommended by Dr Heisig, a concussion specialist in America. He says it’s well researched for supporting concussion and brain injury recovery and recommends adding 5-10g to a hot cocoa.
Probiotics, polyphenols, and melatonin are also recommended by concussion specialist Dr Heisig – more information here: Top 5 Supplements for Concussion Recovery