“Why does my head hurt when I blow my nose?”
When I blow my nose, I feel a tight pressure and pain in my head, and it is pounding afterward just for a few seconds. I don't think I have any other symptoms or any other medical conditions. What could this be?
13 Answers
This sounds like sinus problem such as sinusitis. See your doctor
Amitha J. Mundenchira
Family Practitioner
You may have sinus/allergy issues. If it is an ongoing problem, I would recommend a sinus X-ray and an allergy test.
When you blow your nose, the force air expulsion is generated from your upper airways and lower airways. The upper airways includes your nose, ears, and sinuses. Your sinuses are located all across your face. If you blow your nose very hard, that pressure may be felt in your head (from the sinuses). Not only air pressure, but also when you blow your nose, the sudden rush of blood pressure to your face can be felt.
...Sorry for the late response.
...Sorry for the late response.
Your nasal passages are connected to your sinuses. The frontal sinuses are located just above the eyebrows. So when you blow your nose, you create an internal pressure that gets radiated to the sinuses, hence the sensation of that headache. If it worsens, you can see an ENT physician who can look for other structures in your passages that cause any”extra” pressures.
Pressure as you describe signals either allergic or infectious inflammation of the sinuses. Rarely, people can have congenital (from birth) absence of certain sinuses or abnormal anatomy of the sinus cavities.
Your doctor can provide antihistamines by mouth or nasal sprays that effectively treat allergic sinusitis. Viral infection are the most common cause of infectious sinusitis. However, these infections can be secondarily infected with bacteria which require two weeks of antibiotics by mouth and nasal spray treatment.
Chronic sinusitis is a totally different entity and needs specialty diagnosis and treatment.
Your doctor can provide antihistamines by mouth or nasal sprays that effectively treat allergic sinusitis. Viral infection are the most common cause of infectious sinusitis. However, these infections can be secondarily infected with bacteria which require two weeks of antibiotics by mouth and nasal spray treatment.
Chronic sinusitis is a totally different entity and needs specialty diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Lisa Ann Shepherd
Family Practitioner
The most likely cause is either sinus pressure pain or muscle spasm/tension headache. However, there are rare vascular problems that could cause this as well, so it would be best to discuss this with your physician.
Blowing your nose increases intra craneal pressure. This may activate
receptors in the soft tissue surrounding the brain. It is a benign
condition.
Kevin P Rosteing MD MSMI
receptors in the soft tissue surrounding the brain. It is a benign
condition.
Kevin P Rosteing MD MSMI
When you blow your nose, it increases pressure in your sinuses and that in turn increase pressure in the open space of brain called ventricles which contains cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) thereby giving you headache for few seconds.
When you blow your nose, you should not get a headache or feel pressure or pain. It sounds like you are getting a sinus headache because your sinuses may be swollen closed, congested with mucus or infected. The sinuses are hollow spaces in the face bones connected to the nose. Blowing your nose increases the pressure in your congested sinuses and that causes sinus pressure and pain.
If this was something recent then it might be related to the negative pressure created by blowing the nose on the lining of the sinus cavities or the nasopharyngeal lining. It seem that you have a case of allergies or a viral/ bacterial infection along with the allergy. It would be good to have this investigated. A nasal swab , CT brain and sinus cavities. You never mentioned any bleeding with nose blowing.
Likely you have a mild sinus infection or allergic sinusitis. If the latter seems to fit, using a nasal spray like Nasocort or Flonase, spray each nostril till your symptoms are gone and then use only once daily.
Temporary pain should be a warning sign you are blowing too hard, pushing air into the sinuses. I tell patients everyday to stop blowing their noses because doing so creates such pressure in the oropharyngeal cavity that mucus and germs can be pushed backwards into the sinuses and up the Eustachian tubes into the ears. Children and adults alike often give themselves sinus and ear infections repeatedly by nose blowing. Instead, sniff briskly to pull loose mucus downward into the throat to be expelled with a throat-clearing cough -- but do it in private, as this makes unpleasant noises that are unacceptable in public.
probably because there is an change in pressure. the eustachian tube in your throat equalizes pressure and if you blow your nose sometimes it does not work properly. This can be helped by having your mouth open when you blow your nose.
