A new study in the journal Pediatrics suggests that that the more rest kids’ brains have after a concussion, the faster they’ll heal.

Now, this may not sound like groundbreaking news. It seems almost obvious that resting the injured muscle will help its recovery along, and doctors have long been telling those with head injuries to give their brains a break afterward.

But this study is the first to back up that assumption with hard data. It followed 335 concussion patients from ages 8 to 23, and the overall pool had and average age of 15. They were periodically asked about their symptoms and about how much stress, on a five-point scale, they’d put on their brains, from complete cognitive rest to normal functioning.

The findings are as follows:

• 1) Almost half of those who didn’t change their level of functioning took 100 days or more to recover.
• 2) Of those who cut back the most, almost all had recovered by 100 days, most within a couple of months.

Study co-author and director of Sports Concussion Clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital Dr. William Meehan said three to five days will be enough rest for many kids, and each child should do as much as they can without making the symptoms worse, according to CBS News. There’s no hard and fast rule – each child and each concussion is different, so each recovery plan should be tailored to the child, depending on how much he or she can handle without exacerbating the symptoms.

The long-term consequences of concussions are at this point well-documented and don’t need to be rehashed in this blog post. But just remember that letting your brain rest and heal properly after a concussion is a good step to minimize those consequences, especially for kids.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.