Why wake up with headache

Tips to help combat morning headaches Achieving restful and restorative sleep can be a struggle for many people.

Practice good sleep hygiene by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Use your bed only for sleeping and not for other activities, such as watching TV. Avoid heavy meals and stimulants, such as alcohol, close to bedtime. Reduce screen time at night. Neurosciences Wellness Sleep. November 12, Does my child have ADHD, or are they just being a kid?

November 09, November 04, October 28, October 18, Inspire Me. Getting too much sleep, especially on a regular basis, is a common trigger for morning headaches. The best way to avoid a morning headache caused by oversleeping is to restore your natural wake-sleep cycle by going to bed at about the same time each night and getting up at a regular time on most days.

Oversleeping can be an indication of depression or an underlying medical condition. Be sure to discuss any problems you have maintaining a consistent sleep schedule with a medical professional. People sometimes worry about having a brain tumor when they experience morning headaches. While a regular morning headache can be a symptom of a brain tumor, the chances are very slim if a morning headache is your only symptom. The National Cancer Center points out that other neurological symptoms almost always accompany brain tumors.

These symptoms might include:. You may experience early morning headaches because of another health condition. Headaches can be a symptom of a variety of conditions and may not be caused by your sleep patterns at all. Conditions that may cause chronic morning headaches include hypertension and musculoskeletal diseases.

Make sure to discuss all symptoms you experience with your doctor. You may be diagnosed with a different condition altogether. Headaches related to a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, insomnia, or bruxism will require medical treatment from your doctor to help ease your headaches.

You might use medications, devices such as a mouthguard or a CPAP machine, or psychotherapy. Additional treatments will depend on other causes of your headaches.

Some treatments might include:. Lifestyle changes can sometimes help resolve your morning headaches, especially migraine attacks.

The American Migraine Foundation recommends the following lifestyle habits to help manage headaches. Early morning headaches should be treated according to their cause. Depending on the cause, you may be able to manage the headaches yourself with lifestyle changes, a new pillow, or better sleep management. Your headaches may also require a conversation with your doctor, especially if they are caused by an underlying condition. Once you and your doctor determine the cause, the headaches should get better with appropriate treatment.

Yes, oversleeping can cause headaches. It's not always clear why but research suggests that it mostly has to do with interruptions in your natural….

In reality though, even the most persistent…. A hypnic headache is a rare type of headache that happens in the middle of the night.

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Learn why it happens and how to…. Ophthalmoplegic migraine, now called recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy RPON , is a rare, painful nerve condition that causes headaches. It's much more likely that your morning headaches are caused by something much less serious. That said, looking after your sleep hygiene in general is an excellent preventive measure, given how a poor or irregular sleep schedule ups your chance of headaches.

If it happens regularly, though, talk to your doctor so you can find out what's causing them—and fix it. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. You have insomnia.

You could be grinding your teeth at night. You had an alcoholic beverage or several before bed. In rare cases, it could be something more serious. Korin is a former New Yorker who now lives at the beach. She received a double B. Korin has been published in Migraines often begin as headaches and grow more severe in pain intensity. In fact, people who experience migraines are much more likely to struggle with insufficient sleep , and recurrent sleep loss can trigger migraines.

New onset of headaches in elderly should be investigated for possible underlying malignancy. Sleep bruxism , or teeth grinding or clenching during sleep, can make you wake up with a headache. This forceful and excessive movement also leads to tooth wear, muscle pain, and gum damage. Causes of sleep bruxism include having an irregularly shaped jaw, stress and anxiety, sleep disruption, alcohol use, and coffee.

A dentist can determine if you have sleep bruxism. Treatment often involves wearing a mouthguard at night. Your dentist may also prescribe drugs for pain management and recommend cognitive behavioral therapy to manage stress and anxiety.

Your sleep posture and position can lead to tension, potentially triggering poor sleep and headaches. Choosing a supportive pillow or changing your sleep position can help relieve this tension. Heavy drinking of at least six drinks in an evening has a high association with morning headaches. However, even at lower levels, alcohol affects sleep and can lead to morning headaches for several reasons. Alcohol also increases urination and loss of fluids, leading to mild dehydration.

Headaches are a common side effect of dehydration. Additionally, alcohol can be a trigger for migraines. Headaches are also a side effect of some over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs. While you may want to take medication for the head pain, that can contribute to a cycle of chronic headaches. Alternatively, overnight withdrawal from the drug can trigger a headache in the morning. If you have frequent or daily morning headaches, talk to your healthcare provider about what might be causing them.

Consider keeping a sleep diary to track your symptoms and sleep habits and share this with your doctor. They can help you identify the exact trigger or triggers of your morning headaches and develop a treatment plan. In addition to treatment specific to your trigger, you can also improve your sleep hygiene :. With good sleep hygiene and treatment for the disorder causing your headaches, you may be able to reduce or eliminate your morning headaches.

Talk with your healthcare provider to determine the right treatment plan for you. Tom has over 10 years of copywriting and editorial experience across sectors such as technology, healthcare, education, and consulting. Rehman, M. Terminology about sleep can be confusing. Our sleep dictionary clearly explains common sleep terms so that you can better understand….

This guide to diabetes and sleep discusses common sleep problems, consequences of sleep deprivation, and the link between type 2…. Some sleeping problems tend to go unnoticed.

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