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What to do if…
you hit your head and now have a worsening headache, nausea, or unusual sleepiness

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy USA guide

Short answer

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department now if a headache is getting worse and does not go away, there is repeated nausea or vomiting, unusual sleepiness, confusion, seizure, weakness, slurred speech, or the person is hard to wake. Do not drive yourself.

Do not do these things

  • Do not “sleep it off” alone if you are unusually sleepy, your symptoms are worsening, or you are hard to wake.
  • Do not drive yourself if you feel sleepy, dizzy, confused, sick, or your symptoms are worsening.
  • Do not drink alcohol or use recreational drugs after a head injury.
  • Do not take sleep aids, strong sedating antihistamines, sedative pain medicines, or other sedating medicines unless a clinician who knows about the head injury tells you to.
  • Do not start aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, or other anti-inflammatory pain medicine after a suspected concussion unless a clinician tells you to.
  • Do not stop prescribed aspirin, blood thinners, or seizure medicines without medical advice.
  • Do not ignore repeated vomiting, worsening headache, increasing drowsiness, confusion, weakness, slurred speech, seizure, or a pupil that looks larger than the other.

What to do now

  1. Call 911 now if any danger sign is present. This includes a headache that gets worse and does not go away; repeated nausea or vomiting; looking very drowsy; being unable to wake up or stay awake; seizure or convulsions; slurred speech; weakness, numbness, or poor coordination; one pupil larger than the other; double vision; increasing confusion, restlessness, agitation, or unusual behavior; not recognizing people or places; or loss of consciousness with worsening symptoms.
  2. For a child, use a lower threshold for emergency help. Call 911 or go to the emergency department right away if a child has any of the danger signs above, will not stop crying and cannot be consoled, will not nurse or eat, is acting unusually, or is becoming harder to wake.
  3. If symptoms are worsening but there is no clear danger sign, get medical advice now. Call your healthcare provider, an urgent care center, or a nurse advice line and say: “I had a head injury and my symptoms are getting worse.” Use the emergency department if you cannot get prompt advice or you are unsure whether a danger sign is present.
  4. Do not stay alone. Ask another adult to stay with you, watch for changes, and call 911 if you become harder to wake, more confused, weaker, repeatedly vomit, have a seizure, or the headache keeps getting worse.
  5. Treat blood thinners and bleeding risk as important information. If you take warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, clopidogrel, aspirin, or another blood thinner, or you have a bleeding disorder, tell the dispatcher or clinician promptly and choose urgent assessment rather than waiting.
  6. Keep the body and brain quiet while getting help. Sit or lie somewhere safe, avoid sports, driving, machinery, alcohol, drugs, bright light, and screen use if they worsen symptoms. Sip water if you can.
  7. Ask before taking pain medicine if symptoms are worsening. Acetaminophen is commonly suggested for headache after concussion, but do not let pain medicine delay urgent care. Avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, or similar medicines unless a clinician says they are safe for you.
  8. Bring or write down the key details. Note when the injury happened, how it happened, whether there was any blackout or memory gap, how the headache, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, or behavior changed, current medicines, allergies, and major medical conditions.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide whether this is “just a concussion” right now.
  • You do not need to decide today about work, school, sports, exercise, driving, or travel.
  • You do not need a detailed symptom diary before seeking help; the time of injury and what worsened are enough.
  • You do not need to search for every possible cause online before getting medical advice.

Important reassurance

Worsening symptoms after a head injury are a valid reason to get checked. Seeking help now is a protective step, not an overreaction, and it gives clinicians a chance to look for problems that are not safe to guess about at home.

Scope note

These are first steps only. Recovery, return to activity, medicines, monitoring, and follow-up depend on the emergency or healthcare assessment and may need specialist medical advice.

Important note

This is general information, not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a substitute for emergency care. If you are unsure whether sleepiness, nausea, headache, behavior, vision, speech, or coordination has changed, choose urgent medical assessment rather than waiting.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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