Head Pressure From a Cough: Why Your Head Hurts

Treat head pain when coughing with cough drops, NSAIDs, and steam

Medically reviewed by Geetika Gupta, MD

Having a headache when you are coughing is not uncommon. It isn’t usually something to worry about, as head discomfort can occur due to the pressure of sudden head movements, such as laughing or sneezing.

Mild upper respiratory infections and sinus infections can cause coughs and headaches that should resolve when the infection clears up. Ongoing tension headaches and migraine headaches usually worsen with head movements, such as coughing or leaning over.

This article discusses how coughing and headaches could be related and when this combination is something to worry about. It also discusses what steps you can take to relieve your symptoms.

Head Pressure, Coughing, and Pain

Coughing, sneezing, bending over, and laughing all cause slight changes in the position of your body. These changes can lead to head or neck pressure that may exacerbate head pain, especially if you already have a headache. Generally, coughing or moving your head shouldn’t independently cause a headache that wasn’t already there.

A severe headache that feels like it is caused by a cough could be an indication of a serious health complication.

Head pain that is associated with coughing or other quick movements can feel like:

• Dull pressure throughout your head

• Muscle aches in the shoulder and neck

• Increasing sinus pressure and aches

If you experience these symptoms for just a couple minutes when you cough, sneeze, or move around—it is due to the fact that pressure in your head can worsen pain.

Severe Symptoms of Cough and Headache

If you have severe head pain whenever you cough or if your head pain only occurs with certain physical movements, you could have a serious problem.

Serious symptoms of cough and headache that require prompt medical attention include:

• Coughing up blood

• Intense dizziness or light-headedness

• Severe vomiting

• High fever

• A rash

• Chest pain

• Any neurological symptoms—such as weakness, sensory changes, vision changes, or difficulty speaking

• Change of consciousness

Conditions That Cause Cough Headaches

Numerous conditions that can cause cough-associated headaches. Most of these conditions are mild and can resolve with medical treatment, rest, and staying hydrated.

These conditions cause:

• Cough because they affect the respiratory tract (throat or lungs)

• Headache due to the associated inflammation or fever

Each time you cough, your headache can feel worse due to rapid positional changes of your head.

Common causes of a cough combined with a headache include:

• COVID-19 infection: A contagious viral infection that may cause a cough, headaches, and a variety of other symptoms

• Flu: A contagious viral infection that usually causes a fever, with a rundown feeling and respiratory symptoms

• Sinusitis: Sinus inflammation, often due to allergies or viral or bacterial infection

• Bronchitis: A lung airway infection, usually viral, sometimes bacterial

Serious causes of a cough combined with a headache include:

• Meningitis: An infection of the area between the brain and skull

• Encephalitis: A brain infection

• Fungal infection: An uncommon type of infection that usually affects people who have an immune deficiency

• Throat cancer: A type of cancer that affects the throat and may spread to other parts of the body

• Lung cancer: Cancer affecting lung tissue that may begin in the lungs or could have spread to the lungs from elsewhere in the body

Primary vs. Secondary Headache

Primary headache: Headache disorders—like migraine and tension headaches—cause primary headaches. These headaches are not dangerous and can be relieved with pain treatment or specific headache therapies.

Secondary headache: Secondary headaches are caused by underlying medical issues—like a stroke, brain bleed, meningitis, encephalitis, abscess, or tumor. While pain treatment can sometimes provide relief, the underlying health issue can be life-threatening and needs to be treated.

Drugstore and At-Home Treatment

If you have a cough and your head pain seems to get worse every time you cough, treating the cough can help reduce your pain with sudden head movements.

Mild pain treatment may also help alleviate the constant head pain that worsens every time you cough, sneeze, or move your head.

When your cough is not caused by anything serious, you can use at-home remedies or over-the-counter (OTC) therapies to feel better. Things you can do when you have a cough include:

• Get enough rest.

• Avoid speaking if talking causes discomfort.

• Use a humidifier or steam if this makes you feel comfortable.

• Sip on warm or cold beverages—whichever makes you feel better. Sweetening warm beverages with honey may also help relieve a cough (but do not give honey to a baby under age 1).

• Use OTC cough treatments such as Delsym and others that contain dextromethorphan, which helps suppress cough, as a healthcare provider recommends. These may not be effective, especially for children. Talk to a healthcare provider before giving a child any cough or cold medication.

For headaches, you can use these home remedies:

• Ice pack or heat pack (whichever helps you feel more relief)

• Resting

• Avoiding loud noises

• Stretching, if you have neck pain

• Caffeinated beverages (as directed by your healthcare provider)

OTC treatments for headaches include:

• Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen)

• Tylenol (acetaminophen)

• Aleve (naproxen sodium)

Seeing a Provider for Severe Cough Headache Treatment

If you have a severe, persistent cough or if you are concerned about your symptoms, you should see a healthcare provider. It’s important to check with your healthcare provider to decide if you need to be seen promptly or if you can wait and make an appointment.

In rare instances, a severe cough can lead to problems that cause a headache. While it isn't common, a cough can induce a brain hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain). This can cause a sudden headache that's especially painful—often called a thunderclap headache.

Treatment for a Cough

A cough is usually caused by mild throat irritation or a mild throat infection. Some of these infections can be contagious, so it is valuable for you to know if you have a contagious infection.

Most conditions that cause a cough are not treatable with antibiotics. In some instances, bacterial infection can lead to a cough. If you have a bacterial infection, you may benefit from antibiotic treatment.

However, if you do not have a bacterial infection, there is absolutely no benefit to using antibiotics. In fact, antibiotics contribute to the development of resistant bacterial strains.

Talk to a healthcare provider about the best treatment for the cough. In some cases, they can prescribe a prescription cough suppressant.

Headache Treatment

Many effective treatments can provide pain relief for a headache. Talk to a healthcare provider about which home remedies and OTC treatments they recommend for your condition.

Prescription treatments for headache and migraines include:

• Fiorinal (butalbital, aspirin, caffeine) or Fioricet (butalbital, acetaminophen, caffeine)

• Triptans, like Imitrex (sumatriptan) or Relpax (eletriptan)

• CGRP receptor antagonists like Nurtec ODT (rimegepant)

Related: Medications for Treating Migraine Headaches

Summary

Cough and headache can go hand in hand. A cough can exacerbate any type of headache. Of the many causes of cough, some can also lead to mild or moderate headaches.

If you have both a cough and headache, you can expect to have slightly worse head pain every time you cough. However, if you are coughing up blood, or if you only have headaches when you cough, this could be a sign of a serious condition—and you need to seek medical attention.

Effective treatments can help relieve your head pain and can also help relieve your cough. Your healthcare provider will help advise you regarding home remedies, over-the-counter treatments, and prescription therapies.