Ask a doctor on the topic of Neurology

Short pressure in the head

November 18, 2016 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

I am currently experiencing terrible fear or getting caught up in a symptom again.
It often happens that when I stand up from sitting, I feel a brief pressure in my head. It is not painful. At first I thought it felt like blood rushing to my head, but now I am considering if the opposite is true. My blood pressure is rather low, measured at rest it is around 95/64. Recently it was even 90/64. Sometimes it's around 100/74. When I move, for example climbing stairs, walking, exercising, or bending forward, I never feel this pressure, only directly after sitting for a long time. For example, when I get out of the car and take the first few steps, then the pressure comes, not painful, feels like a vacuum, hard to describe, and it regulates very quickly. Within a maximum of 5 seconds, it's gone again. I don't always have this. I have known this feeling for years, but only briefly. Currently, I have been experiencing it on and off for a few days. As I mentioned before, it's not painful, I never really have headaches. Maybe 2 times a year or so. But where does this pressure come from? At first, I thought it felt like blood rushing to my head, but with this blood pressure, maybe the opposite is true? Could my theory about low blood pressure be correct? Additionally, I have strong tension in my neck and shoulders, and it happens more often when I had my head tilted down and was looking at my phone before standing up. I am really scared that something might burst in my head or that I have a tumor.

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good day,

A tumor would have caused unbearable chronic headaches over the years, which you can now forget about.

The headache is typical for patients with neck tension, and you may also notice that it increases after putting strain on your neck. When you look at your phone, your head puts 37 kg of pressure on your neck vertebrae, which is why you should not do it with your head bent if you can't tolerate it. Additionally, it is important to regularly engage in sports and possibly do some gymnastics.

This has nothing to do with your blood pressure, and of course, nothing will burst.

Warm regards, Dr. Höllering