Migraine Headaches Triggered by Coughing

Of the many possible migraine headache triggers, coughing is one that surprises many people. Cough-induced migraine headaches may indicate a life-threatening condition that requires immediate attention, or it may just be a common side effect of exertion headache. Here are some symptoms associated with migraine headaches from coughing or sneezing.

Exertion headaches

Primary exertion headaches are not uncommon, and alone do not indicate any dangerous health issues. Still, if migraine headaches triggered by coughing happen often, then your doctor may require you to take an MRI, in order to rule out stroke, brain tumor, or brain lesion.

It may seem that it’s only coughing that triggers your migraine exertion headaches, but it’s more likely that a variety of movements can cause this relatively short-living type of head pain.

Migraine headaches triggered by coughing may also occur after:

Sneezing
Having a bowel movement
Having sexual intercourse
Blowing your nose
Jerking your head
Laughing
Crying
Bending low

Symptoms of cough headaches include:

Pain on both sides of the head, as opposed to just one side
Headache that occurs after coughing, sneezing, or other similar movements
Headache of very short duration

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Sinus headache trigger

Although sinus headaches are not considered migraines, underlying sinus pain may increase your chances of having migraine headaches, or exacerbate an existing migraine.

Symptoms that indicate sinus headaches include: