Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFactorsLocationCausesBrain TumorsTreatmentWhen to Seek CareDiagnosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Factors
Location
Causes
Brain Tumors
Treatment
When to Seek Care
Diagnosis
Many causes of head pressure can be effectively treated with home remedies, such as over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication. However, in some situations, pressure in the head can indicate a serious medication condition and require a healthcare provider’s treatment.
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Why You Feel Head Pressure
Your head contains acomplex systemof lobes, empty spaces called sinuses, blood vessels, nerves, and ventricles.Pressure is regulated very closely in these systems, and any disruption to this balance can be noticeable.
For example, a sinus infection may inflame the sinuses, leading to a sensation of fullness and pressure in the head. Tension headaches often cause tension in the neck and scalp muscles, leading to a feeling of head pressure.
Sometimes, figuring out what is causing discomfort with a headache can be challenging. Pain, pressure, irritability, and nausea are all symptoms that can occur with headaches.
Location of the Pressure
Pressure in your head in more than one spot is possible with a migraine or a severe cold.Pain also may occur in more than one spot if you have a head injury. If the feeling of pressure is more specific, it can help provide clues about the cause of your symptoms.
Medical issues can causepressure in different areas.For example, a sinus infection may cause pressure in your face, especially under your eyes and around your nose. A migraine ortension headache, on the other hand, can appear as:
If you experience head pressure often, consider scheduling an appointment with your provider to discuss your symptoms. Details about what the pressure feels like and where pressure is felt can help your provider diagnose and effectively treat you.
Causes of Feeling Pressure in Your Head or Brain
While pressure and pain in your head are important symptoms to discuss with your healthcare provider, the root cause of the problem is not always clear. There are several potential causes, some more serious than others.
Tension Headache
Tension headachesare the most common form of headache.
What it feels like:Tension headaches feel like pressure squeezing around your head.
Unusual positioning of the head or illness can cause tension headaches. Beyond muscle tension, these types of headaches can develop because of:
Adults and older teens are most likely to develop tension headaches, and they are more common in people assigned female at birth than in males. Tension headaches can also run in families.
Sinus Headache
There are several sinus cavities in your face — on each side of your nose, between your eyes, in your cheeks, and on your forehead. Depending on which sinuses are infected, the location of where these headaches cause pressure can vary.
Migraine
Migraines are recurring headaches that cantake many forms. Classified as a neurological disease rather than just a headache, migraines affect about 39 million Americans. Migraines are often genetic and can run in families.
What it feels like:Migraines can cause symptoms ranging from pain and nausea to visual disturbances (aura).Pain is often throbbing and can also feel like pressure in the head. One-sided head pain is the most common, but pain may also be felt on both sides.
Causes:There are many different migraine triggers, which are usually unique to each person. Some common causes include:
The best way to understand what is triggering your migraine is to keep a diary of what you ate, your activities, and how you felt before, during, and after a migraine occurs.
Ear Conditions
Your ears help your body sense movement and balance. A problem in the part of theinner earthat helps control balance can cause a type of migraine called avestibular migraine.
In addition to vestibular migraines, anear infectioncan also cause feelings of pressure or pain in your head.
What it feels like:Vestibular migraines might cause problems with balance and feelings ofvertigo(a sense of spinning).
Ear infectionscan also cause feelings of pressure or pain in the head. They put pressure on the delicate structures of the middle and inner ear.
Causes:Many situations that trigger regular migraines can also trigger vestibular migraines. Examples include weather patterns, hormones, stress, and certain foods. Females who are in their late 30s and 40s who have a history or migraines or motion sickness are at a greater risk for vestibular migraines.
Concussion and Head Injuries
Aconcussionis atraumatic brain injurythat usually results from a physical blow to the head that causes movement of your brain inside your skull. Contact sports are common causes of concussions.
What it feels like:Head pressure and headache are typical symptoms reported with concussions. People often experience other symptoms, such as nausea, dizziness, light sensitivity, and head pain.
Causes:Direct trauma to the head causes a concussion. Trauma can occur due to contact sports (e.g., football), a fall or other injury, a car accident, or whiplash, where the acceleration and deceleration result in injury to the brain.
Increased Intracranial Pressure
Many neurological diseases and conditions can lead to increased pressure in your head, called intracranial hypertension, which is a generic term for increased pressure in the brain.
What it feels like:The pain depends on the specific cause.
Causes:For some people, there is no apparent cause, and this is calledidiopathic intracranial hypertension.
Other causes ofincreased intracranial pressureinclude:
Brain Aneurysm
Aneurysms can occur in any blood vessel in the body. When they occur in the blood vessels in the brain, they are known as acerebral or brain aneurysm.
A ruptured aneurysm will cause sudden, severe pain and is a medical emergency.
Risk factors for brain aneurysms include:
Other Conditions
Pressure in your head can also occur only when you move to stand up, bend over to reach a low shelf, or otherwise change your posture so that your blood pressure is affected. Examples of positional causes of head pressure include:
Additionally, there are several other possible causes of pressure in the head. Some of these include:
Is It a Brain Tumor?
A common concern with pressure in the head is a brain tumor. Brain tumors are uncommon, and it is unlikely that abrain tumoris causing your head pain. Brain tumors typically present with several symptoms, such as:
While brain tumors are generally rare, if you are concerned you have a brain tumor, contact your medical provider for advice.
Treatmentto get rid of pressure in your head depends on what is causing the increased pressure in the first place. You can effectively treat some causes of pressure in your head at home, but others may require medical attention. Depending on the cause of your head pressure, somehome remediesinclude:
Additionally, some individuals find relief through:
Anxiety and depression can contribute to several headache types. Individuals who experience stress or anxiety-induced headaches may benefit from therapy and medications from their healthcare providers. There are prescription medications available both to treat anxiety and also to treat migraines.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Pressure in your head or head pain isn’t always serious, but some conditions warrant medical care. Reach out to your healthcare provider or seek medication attention if:
If you are concerned about the sensation or pressure in your head at any point, seek medical advice.
If you seek medical care, your healthcare provider may take several steps to reach a diagnosis. They will likely conduct a physical exam, including a neurological exam. This includes testing reflexes, coordination, andcranial nerve function.
If there is concern about conditions such as a brain tumor, aneurysm, or stroke, they may order imaging such as an MRI or CT scan. Both of these scans can be performed with or without a special type of dye called contrast.
Summary
Headache, injury, illness, or disease can cause pressure in your head. The location of the pressure or pain can help your healthcare provider determine the cause. Most of the time, pressure in your head is not serious.
Head pressure can be treated with home remedies or may require prescription medication, like antibiotics, in more severe cases. Talk to your healthcare provider about any concerns about your symptoms.
Regardless of severity, identifying the cause and finding an effective treatment is important to your health.
22 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Thau L, Reddy V, Singh P.Anatomy, central nervous system.StatPearls.MedlinePlus.Tension headache.Rizzoli P, Mullally W.Headache.Am J Med. 2018;131(1):17-24. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2017.09.005American Migraine Foundation.Is it a migraine or sinus headache?MedlinePlus.Migraine.MedlinePlus.Tension headache.American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Headaches.American Migraine Foundation.Headache journals: Tracking your migraine.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Dizziness and balance.American Migraine Foundation.What to know about vestibular migraine.FamilyDoctor.org.Ear infection.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Concussion signs and symptoms.International Headache Society.Headache attributed to trauma or injury to the head and/or neck.American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Concussion.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension.National Health Service.Intracranial hypertension.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Brain aneurysms.Merck Manual Consumer Version.High blood pressure.International Headache Society.Classification.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Overview of brain tumors.American Migraine Foundation.Tension-type headache.Allina Health.Ten home remedies to relieve sinus pain and pressure.
22 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Thau L, Reddy V, Singh P.Anatomy, central nervous system.StatPearls.MedlinePlus.Tension headache.Rizzoli P, Mullally W.Headache.Am J Med. 2018;131(1):17-24. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2017.09.005American Migraine Foundation.Is it a migraine or sinus headache?MedlinePlus.Migraine.MedlinePlus.Tension headache.American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Headaches.American Migraine Foundation.Headache journals: Tracking your migraine.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Dizziness and balance.American Migraine Foundation.What to know about vestibular migraine.FamilyDoctor.org.Ear infection.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Concussion signs and symptoms.International Headache Society.Headache attributed to trauma or injury to the head and/or neck.American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Concussion.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension.National Health Service.Intracranial hypertension.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Brain aneurysms.Merck Manual Consumer Version.High blood pressure.International Headache Society.Classification.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Overview of brain tumors.American Migraine Foundation.Tension-type headache.Allina Health.Ten home remedies to relieve sinus pain and pressure.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Thau L, Reddy V, Singh P.Anatomy, central nervous system.StatPearls.MedlinePlus.Tension headache.Rizzoli P, Mullally W.Headache.Am J Med. 2018;131(1):17-24. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2017.09.005American Migraine Foundation.Is it a migraine or sinus headache?MedlinePlus.Migraine.MedlinePlus.Tension headache.American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Headaches.American Migraine Foundation.Headache journals: Tracking your migraine.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Dizziness and balance.American Migraine Foundation.What to know about vestibular migraine.FamilyDoctor.org.Ear infection.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Concussion signs and symptoms.International Headache Society.Headache attributed to trauma or injury to the head and/or neck.American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Concussion.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension.National Health Service.Intracranial hypertension.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Brain aneurysms.Merck Manual Consumer Version.High blood pressure.International Headache Society.Classification.Merck Manual Consumer Version.Overview of brain tumors.American Migraine Foundation.Tension-type headache.Allina Health.Ten home remedies to relieve sinus pain and pressure.
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MedlinePlus.Tension headache.
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American Migraine Foundation.Is it a migraine or sinus headache?
MedlinePlus.Migraine.
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American Migraine Foundation.What to know about vestibular migraine.
FamilyDoctor.org.Ear infection.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Concussion signs and symptoms.
International Headache Society.Headache attributed to trauma or injury to the head and/or neck.
American Association of Neurological Surgeons.Concussion.
National Organization for Rare Disorders.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
National Health Service.Intracranial hypertension.
Merck Manual Consumer Version.Brain aneurysms.
Merck Manual Consumer Version.High blood pressure.
International Headache Society.Classification.
Merck Manual Consumer Version.Overview of brain tumors.
American Migraine Foundation.Tension-type headache.
Allina Health.Ten home remedies to relieve sinus pain and pressure.
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