Extreme sleepiness or unsteadiness with a severe headache may
indicate a serious illness. Other symptoms of a serious illness may
include:
- Abnormally deep sleep, difficulty waking, or
extreme sleepiness.
- Blurred or double vision.
- Confusion
or not acting normal. Ask the person his or her name, address, age, the date,
where he or she is, and who is president.
- Difficulty speaking or
slurred speech.
- Stiff neck that is getting worse or not improving
after the first 4 hours.
- Symptoms that affect one side of the body more than the other side,
such as numbness, weakness, or difficulty moving.
A decreased level of consciousness with a severe headache may signal
a life-threatening problem caused by bleeding, injury, swelling within or
around the brain, or by infection, such as
meningitis or
encephalitis. Level of consciousness can deteriorate
suddenly or gradually. This change can be permanent or temporary.
A severe headache with a change in level of consciousness is a
medical emergency. Call 911 or other emergency services immediately.
