05/08/2022
Pressure in the Head: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
A number of conditions can cause a sensation of tightness, weight, or pressure in the head. These sensations can range in intensity from mild to severe.
Most conditions that result in head pressure aren’t cause for alarm. Common ones include tension headaches, migraines, conditions that affect the sinuses, and ear infections.
Abnormal or severe head pressure is sometimes a sign of a serious medical condition, such as a brain tumor or aneurysm. However, these problems are rare.
Where do you feel pressure in your head?
Do you feel pressure all over your head? Is the pain restricted to your forehead, temples, or a single side? The location of your pain can help your doctor identify potential causes.
Causes of head pressure and pain
Pressure, aches, and pain in the head have many potential causes. Tension headaches and migraines are among the most common.
Tension headaches
What it feels like: Pain from tension headaches is generally mild to moderate in severity. Some people describe it as an elastic band squeezing their head.
What it is: Also known as tension-type headaches (TTH), tension headaches are the most commonTrusted Source type of headache. They affect an estimated 42 percentTrusted Source of the global population. However, their causes aren’t well-understood.
Causes:
stress
anxiety
depression
poor posture
Sinus headaches and other sinus conditions
What it feels like: A constant pressure behind your forehead, cheekbones, nose, jaw, or ears. It will also come along with other symptoms, such as nasal discharge.
What it is: Your sinuses are a series of connected cavities behind your forehead, eyes, cheeks, and nose. When the sinuses become inflamed, they produce excess mucus, which can lead to head pressure. This is also known as a sinusitis headache. True sinus headaches are rare; it’s easy to mistake a migraine for one.
Causes:
allergies
colds and flu
sinus infections (sinusitis)
Ear conditions
What it feels like: Dull but constant pressure in the temples, ears, jaw, or side of the head. Ear conditions can affect one or both sides of the head.
What it is: Ear infections and earwax blockages are common ear conditions that can cause head pressure with ear pain.
Causes:
ear barotrauma
ear infections
earwax blockage
labyrinthitis
ruptured eardrum
outer ear infection (swimmer’s ear)
Migraines
What it feels like: Migraine pain is usually described as pulsing or throbbing. It typically occurs on one side of the head, and it can be so intense that it’s disabling. Migraines are often accompanied by additional symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound.
What it is: Migraines are a common type of headache. They first appear in adolescence or early adulthood and tend to reoccur. Migraines often include warning signs and progress through distinct stages.
Causes: The causes of migraines aren’t well-understood, although genetic and environmental factors appear to be involved.
Other headaches
What they feel like: Pressure, pulsing, or throbbing all over or in a specific area of the head. Some headaches are accompanied by eye pain.