Head Hurts When I Cough: Causes, Symptoms, And Remedies
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Medically reviewed by Cynthia Taylor Chavoustie, MPAS, PA-C — Written by Beth Sissons — Updated on August 4, 2025There are several reasons why a person’s head may hurt after they cough. Depending on the cause of this pain, doctors will classify it as a primary or secondary cough headache.
A primary cough headache can occur when straining causes sudden pressure when coughing and may last up to 2 hours. A secondary cough headache stems from another disorder, such as an abnormality in the brain.
Primary cough headaches may occur due to the sudden pressure in the abdomen experienced during coughing. This may increase pressure in the head, causing a headache. Other activities can also result in similar headaches. These include:
- laughing
- sneezing
- bowel movements
- heavy exertion, straining the abdomen
A primary cough headache has no link to any disorder of the brain or other health conditions.
Symptoms of a primary cough headache include:
- pain on both sides of the head but can be on one side
- pain that feels sharp or stabbing
- pain beginning suddenly, during or after coughing
- dull ache continuing after the initial pain has passed
Causes of secondary cough headaches include:
- Miscellaneous posterior fossa lesions, which can be cysts or a type of brain tumor.
- Obstructive hydrocephalus is an excess buildup of fluid in the brain.
- Spontaneous low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure due to an internal leak of spinal fluid.
- Chiari malformation – a defect in the structure of the brain and skull.
A secondary cough headache can last anywhere between a few seconds to several weeks.
Symptoms of a secondary cough headache include:
- high intensity of pain in the head with coughing or straining
- varying location of headaches, but often in the back of the head
- varying duration of headaches
- sharp or stabbing pain often followed by a dull ache
- feeling faint
- dizziness
- feeling unbalanced
More on headaches
- What are the different types of headaches?
- When is a headache a cause for concern?
- What does the location of a headache mean?
- What is the difference between headaches and migraine?
- Uncategorized
- Respiratory
- Ear, Nose, and Throat
- Flu / Cold / SARS
- Headache / Migraine
How we reviewed this article:
SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.- Ahmed KA, et al. (2023). Primary cough headache: A case report. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10072196/
- Wijeratne T, et al. (2023). Secondary headaches - red and green flags and their significance for diagnostics. xhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10339125/
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Medically reviewed by Cynthia Taylor Chavoustie, MPAS, PA-C — Written by Beth Sissons — Updated on August 4, 2025Latest news
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