Coughing

• Coughing, especially chronic, severe coughing, is an often overlooked and unusual cause of a headache. The act of coughing, and to a lesser extent laughing and sneezing, temporarily raises the blood pressure in the veins and arteries of the brain, an occurrence that can cause a headache, sometimes severe, in certain individuals. This sudden increase in blood pressure can irritate and inflame the blood vessel walls, causing a headache. Generally, these types of headaches come on suddenly, within a few seconds of a cough, and gradually reduce in severity within a few minutes. Chest colds and influenza, which are both associated with high rates of coughing, are prime causes of coughing-related headaches.
  
  

Weight-Lifting

• Heavy or excessive weight-lifting sessions can cause a headache by increasing blood pressure within the blood vessels of the brain. Unlike a headache caused by a cough, however, a headache caused by weight-lifting is generally a longer-lasting headache that can occur for the duration of a weight-lifting session and for several minutes (or even hours) after the session ends. These types of headaches can occur gradually over a weight-training session or come on suddenly, often peaking in severity when weight-lifting loads are maximized, which causes a tremendous increase in overall blood pressure.
  
  

Weather

• In some cases, headaches can be caused by fluctuations in air pressure, or barometric pressure. Air pressure can vary considerably, depending on topography and prevailing weather systems. It is fairly common for a person traveling from a low-lying area to a mountainous region (where air pressure is considerably lower) to develop a headache. Low-pressure weather systems can also cause headaches as they move into an area of high pressure and cause a rapid air pressure drop. It is believed that low pressure areas can allow excessive dilation of the nerves and blood vessels in the head and brain, which can cause headaches in certain individuals.