How to Document Concussion Symptoms at Home

The appointment is in three days. Your loved one says they are “fine,” but they have slept through two alarms, snapped at the dog, and cannot remember whether they took their medication. That is exactly why learning how to document concussion symptoms matters. Memory gets fuzzy under stress. A simple record gives you something steadier than a panicked recollection in a parking lot.

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt that makes the brain move rapidly inside the skull. Symptoms can affect the body, thinking, sleep, mood, and behavior, and some may show up hours or days after the injury. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Signs and Symptoms of Concussion, 2024.) The goal of a symptom log is not to diagnose a brain injury at the kitchen table. It is to capture what is changing, what may be making it worse, and what a clinician needs to know.

Start with safety, not the notebook

If the injury just happened, documentation comes after urgent safety decisions. Call 911 or seek emergency care right away for danger signs such as a worsening headache that will not go away, repeated vomiting, seizures, unusual behavior or increasing confusion, weakness or numbness, slurred speech, one pupil larger than the other, loss of consciousness, or difficulty waking the person. These signs may indicate a more serious brain injury. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Danger Signs After a Head Injury, 2024.)

Veterans and caregivers are especially good at minimizing. We have all heard some version of, “I’ve had worse,” or “I just need to sleep it off.” Toughness has its place. Guessing through neurological red flags is not one of them.

If the person is safe and has been evaluated or instructed to monitor at home, begin your log as soon as you can. Write down the date and time of the injury, what happened, whether there was any loss of consciousness or memory gap, and what care they received. If you do not know an answer, write “unknown.” Do not fill gaps with a story that feels logical. Facts are more useful than a polished narrative.

How to document concussion symptoms without creating more chaos

Use whatever tool you will actually keep using: a paper notebook, a notes app, a shared document, or a printed daily sheet on the fridge. Fancy systems are great until nobody opens them. A short entry two or three times a day is usually more useful than trying to reconstruct an entire week the night before a follow-up.

For each entry, record the date, time, and who observed the symptoms. Then note what the person was doing just before the symptoms started or got worse. Were they trying to read? Riding in a car? Watching television? Talking with several people? Returning to work? Context helps clinicians understand patterns and helps families identify activities that may need to be scaled back temporarily.

A useful entry can be brief: “Tuesday, 2:15 p.m. - tried to read email for 10 minutes. Headache went from 3/10 to 6/10. Became irritable and lost place on screen twice. Rested in dark room. Improved to 4/10 after 45 minutes.” That is concrete. “Bad day” is honest, but it leaves everyone guessing.

Track function, not just a symptom checklist

Headache, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light or noise, fatigue, trouble concentrating, slowed thinking, sleep changes, irritability, sadness, and anxiety are among symptoms that can occur after concussion. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Signs and Symptoms of Concussion, 2024.) But the impact on daily life often tells the fuller story.

Along with symptoms, document what changed in ordinary functioning. Did they miss steps while making coffee? Need reminders they normally would not need? Get overwhelmed by a grocery store? Lose balance when turning? Fall asleep at an unusual time? Have trouble following a familiar TV plot? These details are not “being dramatic.” They show what the injury is doing in the real world, where caregiving actually happens.

Use a 0-to-10 scale only if it works for your household. A number can make trends easier to see, especially for headache, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. Still, pair it with a plain-language description. One person’s 5 is another person’s 8. “Dizziness 6/10, needed the wall to walk to the bathroom” gives the number a backbone.

If you need a quick daily structure, include these categories in each entry:

• Physical symptoms, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, balance trouble, vision changes, or sensitivity to light and sound.
• Thinking and communication changes, such as confusion, slowed responses, trouble finding words, forgetfulness, or difficulty following directions.
• Emotional and behavior changes, such as irritability, anxiety, tearfulness, withdrawal, agitation, or unusual impulsiveness.
• Sleep and energy changes, including naps, insomnia, sleeping much more than usual, exhaustion, or difficulty waking.
• Activity and triggers, including screen time, driving, exercise, work tasks, noisy environments, alcohol or substance use, and major stressors.

Record changes from their normal, not someone else’s normal

This matters a lot in veteran families and in homes already shaped by PTSD, chronic pain, dementia, Parkinson’s, prior brain injuries, or medication changes. A symptom may not be new, but its intensity, frequency, timing, or effect on function may be different after a head injury. Write the baseline beside the change.

For example: “Usually has nightmares twice a week. Since fall, waking frightened every night and cannot return to sleep for two hours.” Or: “Has chronic migraines, but this headache started after impact, is in a new location, and worsens with reading.” A clinician needs that distinction. Existing conditions can complicate recovery and symptom interpretation, which is one reason a careful history is part of concussion assessment. (American Academy of Neurology, Practice Guideline Update: Evaluation and Management of Concussion in Sports, 2013.)

Also record medications, supplements, and missed doses. Do not change prescribed medication because you think it is causing symptoms without talking to the prescriber. Instead, document the timing: “Dizzy 30 minutes after morning medication,” or “More alert after dose was moved to evening.” That gives the medical team a usable clue rather than a vague concern.

Bring the log into the room

A symptom record is advocacy paperwork, not homework for a grade. Take it to urgent care, primary care, neurology, rehabilitation appointments, or a concussion clinic. If the patient struggles to describe what has been happening, the caregiver can read from the log. That can reduce the pressure to remember everything while sitting under fluorescent lights answering fast questions.

At the appointment, lead with the pattern: what happened, what symptoms began first, what has worsened or improved, and how daily functioning has changed. Then ask what should trigger a call, what activities are safe to resume, and when follow-up is needed. Return to activities should be guided by a healthcare provider and adjusted based on symptoms, rather than forced through because life is inconvenient. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Managing Return to Activities, 2024.)

Photos or short videos can help when the issue is visible, such as an unsteady gait, tremor, eye tracking concern, or a speech change. Get the person’s consent whenever possible, protect their privacy, and label the recording with the date and time. A video should support medical care, not become family group-chat evidence.

Know when the log needs to become a call

Call the clinician promptly when symptoms are getting worse rather than gradually improving, when new symptoms appear, or when the person cannot manage basic daily tasks safely. Seek emergency care for the danger signs listed earlier, even if someone has already been checked once. A changing condition deserves a fresh assessment. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Danger Signs After a Head Injury, 2024.)

Caregivers do not need perfect medical language to raise a valid concern. “This is not their normal,” “they are declining across the day,” and “I do not feel safe leaving them alone” are clear, useful statements. Put those words in the log if they are true.

The best symptom record is not the prettiest one. It is the one that helps you see the person in front of you, speak clearly when the system gets rushed, and remember that you are allowed to ask for help before the situation becomes a full-blown mess.