A headache from crying usually responds well to a combination of cold therapy, hydration, and rest. Most post-crying headaches last between 30 minutes and a few hours, though tension-type headaches can occasionally persist for up to a day. The good news is that all three types of headache that crying can trigger have straightforward remedies you can use at home.
Why Crying Causes Headaches
Crying triggers headaches through three overlapping mechanisms, and understanding which one is driving your pain helps you choose the right fix.
The most common culprit is muscle tension. When you cry hard, the muscles in your scalp, temples, jaw, neck, and shoulders tighten up. That sustained contraction produces a dull, band-like pressure around your head, especially in the temples and the back of the neck. This is essentially a tension headache brought on by emotional stress rather than poor posture or screen time.
The second mechanism involves your sinuses. Some of the tears your eyes produce drain through a small channel into your nasal passage. Once there, they mix with mucus, causing congestion and swelling in the hollow spaces behind your cheekbones and forehead. That buildup of fluid creates pressure and pain across the front of your face, around your eyes, and along the bridge of your nose. The pain tends to worsen when you lean forward or make sudden movements.
The third factor is broader: prolonged crying activates your body’s stress response, releasing hormones that can trigger or worsen headache pain. Crying also depletes fluids and can leave you mildly dehydrated, which is a well-established headache trigger on its own.
Cold Compress for Swelling and Pain
A cold compress is your best first move. Cold numbs the affected area, reduces swelling around the eyes and sinuses, and dials down inflammation. Wrap ice or a bag of frozen vegetables in a thin cloth and place it across your forehead, eyes, or the back of your neck for 15 to 20 minutes. If you have a gel eye mask in the freezer, even better.
For sinus-type pain concentrated around the cheekbones, you can alternate: start with cold to bring down swelling, then switch to a warm, damp washcloth for a few minutes to help loosen mucus and relieve congestion. The warmth encourages drainage, which reduces the pressure buildup that’s causing the ache.
Rehydrate Right Away
Crying for an extended period leaves you dehydrated, and dehydration alone can cause or intensify a headache. Drink a full glass of water as soon as you can. Sipping slowly and steadily over the next hour works better than chugging a large amount at once. If plain water feels unappealing, water-rich foods like watermelon, cucumber, or celery can supplement your fluid intake. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which pull water out of your system and can make the headache worse.
Release the Muscle Tension
If the pain feels like a tight band or pressure in your temples, jaw, or neck, the muscles in those areas are still contracted. Gently massaging your temples and the base of your skull with your fingertips in small circles can help them relax. Roll your shoulders slowly, tilt your head side to side, and consciously unclench your jaw.
There’s also a well-known pressure point on the back of your hand, in the fleshy area between your thumb and index finger. Pressing firmly on this spot for about 30 seconds to a minute, then switching hands, can help ease head pain. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center recommends this technique specifically for headaches. One important note: if you’re pregnant, skip this pressure point, as stimulating it may induce contractions.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relief
If the headache doesn’t budge after 20 to 30 minutes of home remedies, an anti-inflammatory pain reliever is a good option. Anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or naproxen are generally more effective for crying headaches than acetaminophen because they target both the pain and the underlying inflammation in the sinus passages and tense muscles. Take one dose with food and water, and give it about 30 minutes to kick in.
Breathing Techniques That Help
Deep, slow breathing works surprisingly well for headaches because it directly calms the stress response that’s fueling the pain. A technique called diaphragmatic breathing is simple to do: place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach, then breathe in slowly through your nose so that only the hand on your stomach rises. Hold briefly, then exhale slowly through your mouth, emptying your lungs as much as you can. Repeat for several minutes.
A variation called square breathing adds structure: inhale for four counts, hold for four counts, exhale for four counts, hold again for four counts. This rhythm activates your body’s rest-and-recover system, lowering heart rate and easing the muscle tension that’s contributing to the headache. It also helps if you’re still feeling emotionally activated and want to settle your nervous system before trying to sleep or go about your day.
How to Prevent the Headache Next Time
You can’t always prevent yourself from crying, and you shouldn’t try to. But a few things reduce the chance that a cry will turn into a headache. Staying well-hydrated before an emotional event (a difficult conversation, a sad movie, grief) gives your body a buffer. Taking slow, deliberate breaths during the cry itself, rather than holding your breath or hyperventilating, keeps your facial and neck muscles from locking up as tightly. And blowing your nose periodically while crying helps prevent the sinus backup that causes pressure pain afterward.
If you’re someone who cries frequently and almost always gets a headache afterward, keeping a cold compress and water within reach becomes a practical habit. The sooner you apply cold and start hydrating, the shorter and milder the headache tends to be. Most crying headaches resolve completely within a few hours. If yours regularly last more than a day, happen multiple times a week, or feel different from your usual pattern, that’s worth bringing up with a doctor to rule out an underlying headache condition.