How to Treat a Sinus Headache

Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on July 11, 2024
Written by Stephanie Watson
8 min read

A sinus headache is aching pain and pressure in your sinuses, the spaces behind your eyes, cheeks, and forehead. This type of headache could be a symptom of a sinus infection. It should go away once the infection clears up. In the meantime, you can treat a sinus headache with pain relievers and medicines to relieve congestion.

You may have symptoms like these with a sinus headache:

  • Pain and pressure around your sinuses -- in your forehead, in your cheeks, behind and between your eyes, and above your nose
  • Tenderness when you touch your face
  • Pain that gets worse when you bend over or lie down, or when the temperature suddenly changes
  • Worse pain in the morning from mucus buildup during the night
  • Aching in your top teeth

If pain is your only symptom, you probably don't have a sinus headache. A sinus headache usually has other symptoms as well, including:

Your doctor may suggest treating the pain and the cause of your sinus headache at the same time. They might recommend these medicines you can buy without a prescription:

Pain relievers. Drugs like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen may help. Always read and follow the label, and don't use them for more than 10 days at a time without talking to your doctor.

Decongestants. These medicines help open your blocked sinus cavities. They do this by reducing the swelling and mucus in your nasal passages.

Follow the instructions carefully. You shouldn't use a nasal decongestant spray for more than 3 days in a row, or it could make your congestion worse. And don't use oral decongestants for more than 7 days. If you also take pain medicine, make sure the decongestant doesn't contain the same pain reliever so you don’t accidentally get too much.

Nasal steroid sprays. In some cases, your doctor may suggest an over-the-counter spray and other drugs to reduce your congestion and pain. These are safe to be used long term, but check with your doctor first. 

Antihistamines. These drugs may help if allergies cause your sinus problems. Some can cause drowsiness, so be sure to check the label before driving or doing anything else that requires alertness. 

Over-the-counter medicines may be enough to relieve a sinus headache. If your headache isn’t better after a week or it gets worse, your doctor may give you one of these prescription sinus headache medicines.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics like amoxicillin are the right medication if bacteria caused your sinus infection. These medicines can clear up the infection and reduce swelling in the sinuses when you take them for 5 to 10 days. Antibiotics won’t help if a virus caused your sinus infection.

Corticosteroids

These medicines reduce inflammation in your sinuses and may help with sinus headache symptoms. Steroids come as a pill or nasal spray. Because of possible side effects like weak bones and infections, doctors don’t usually prescribe steroids for long periods of time.

Leukotriene inhibitors

These medicines block leukotrienes, chemicals your body makes during an allergic reaction. Leukotriene inhibitors reduce inflammation and relieve sinus symptoms like a stuffy nose and postnasal drip. Examples of these medicines are:

  • Montelukast (Singulair)
  • Zafirlukast (Accolate)
  • Zileuton (Zyflo) 

To get rid of a sinus headache, you need to treat the infection that caused it. While you manage the infection, here are a few home remedies to help you feel better.

Steam inhalation

Breathing in warm, moist air may break up some of the mucus that’s causing your sinus headache. One study found that steam inhalation reduced sinus headaches, although it didn’t help with other sinus symptoms like a stuffed nose. 

If you want to try steam inhalation, put a towel over your head, stand over a bowl or pan of boiled water, and breathe in the steam. Wait a minute after you boil the water so you don’t burn yourself. Do this once or twice a day for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. You can also stand in the bathroom while a hot shower runs and breathe in the steam.

Warm compress

Wet a washcloth with warm water and place it over the painful part of your face to open up your nasal passages. Follow it with a cool wet washcloth to ease pain.

Using humidifiers

Humidifiers may help ease congestion if dry air causes your sinus problems. These devices add moisture to the air. It’s important to rinse out your humidifier every 3 days or more often. When dirt gets into the mist, it can make allergies and asthma worse.

Drink warm fluids

Fluids thin the mucus in your nasal passages and make it easier to clear out. Warm liquids like chicken broth and herbal tea feel soothing when you’re sick and give off steam that you can breathe in.

ClearUp is an electrical nerve stimulator that relieves sinus pain and congestion for up to 6 hours. When you roll the rounded tip of the device over your face, it applies a mild electric current to your sinuses.

ClearUp works in two ways, according to its manufacturer. The electric current stimulates nerves in your sinuses. That triggers the release of norepinephrine, a hormone that narrows blood vessels and reduces swelling and pressure in your sinuses. The device also relieves pain and pressure by stimulating the trigeminal nerve and preventing it from sending pain sensations from your face to your brain. You can use ClearUp for 5 minutes at a time, up to four times a day. 

Side effects from the device are mild, including:

  • Redness in the face
  • Muscle twitch in the eyelid
  • Headache

Don’t use this device if you:

  • Have a pacemaker, Cochlear implant, deep brain stimulation, or another implanted device
  • Have any metal devices in your cheek, nose, or forehead
  • Have a problem with the cranial nerves in your brain

Ask your doctor before using ClearUp if you have heart disease. This device is not for children under age 18.

This minimally invasive procedure might be an option if you have chronic sinusitis and other treatments haven’t relieved your sinus pain. You can have balloon sinuplasty in an operating room while you are asleep under general anesthesia, or in your doctor’s office while you are awake but sedated. 

During balloon sinuplasty, the surgeon threads a small balloon up your nose and into your sinuses and inflates it to widen your sinus opening. This lets mucus drain from your sinuses more easily. You should be able to go home the same day as the procedure.

After the surgery, you may have some pain and bloody discharge from your nose. If your sinus symptoms come back, you may need another procedure.

There are no quick fixes for sinus headaches. But treating the cause of your sinus problems with medicine and lifestyle changes should give you relief. You can try pain relievers and warm compresses to soothe your headache. Drinking water and resting can also help.

You can avoid sinus headaches by preventing the sinus infections and allergies that cause them. Try these tips to prevent a sinus headache:

Wash your hands. Hand washing gets rid of the germs that cause sinus infections. Also try to avoid anyone who is sick.

Know your triggers. Stay away from things that caused sinus headaches in the past, like certain foods or smells. Also avoid allergens like dust and pollen, or wear a mask if you have to be around these allergy triggers.

Treat colds and sinus infections quickly. Prompt treatment can prevent these infections from causing a headache.

See an allergist if you have seasonal allergies. They can prescribe medicine to prevent a stuffed nose from turning into a sinus infection.

Treat nasal polyps. These growths can block your sinuses and cause sinus headaches. Sprays, pills, and surgery treat polyps.

Fix a deviated septum. This is when the wall of cartilage and bone that separates your nasal cavity is off-center. In some people, a deviated septum can cause breathing problems and headaches. Surgery called septoplasty is the way to fix a deviated septum.

You can start with over-the-counter medicines and home remedies. See a doctor if your headache doesn’t go away with these treatments, or if it lasts for more than 10 days. 

Get medical help right away if:

  • You also have a high fever
  • Your headache is sudden and severe 
  • You have memory loss, confusion, trouble balancing or speaking, numbness, or tingling with the headache
  • You have a headache with a fever, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting
  • The headache is in one eye and that eye is red

A sinus headache causes pain and pressure behind your forehead, eyes, and cheeks. It could be a sign of a sinus infection. Over-the-counter pain relievers and home remedies may clear up the headache. If it doesn’t go away with these treatments, see your doctor for prescription medications or other treatments.

How do I get rid of a sinus headache?

You can start with over-the-counter medicines like antihistamines, decongestants, or pain relievers. If those don’t help, you may have an infection that needs treatment with antibiotics.

What does a sinus headache feel like?

With a sinus headache, you’ll feel an aching pain and pressure in your cheeks, forehead, and nose. The pain may get worse when you bend over or lie down.

How do you release sinus pressure?

To ease sinus pressure, take an over-the-counter decongestant, antihistamine, or steroid nasal spray. Massage your forehead, nose, and the sides of your face with your fingers. Or breathe in the steam from the shower or a pot of boiling water.

Can I have a sinus headache without congestion?

If you have pressure and pain without a stuffy nose, you could have a migraine or tension headache. An ear, nose, and throat doctor or neurologist can do tests to figure out which type of headache you have.