Causes of Morning Headaches

There is nothing more miserable than waking up in the morning with a headache. If you suffer this morning pain, you're not alone. In fact, a recent study made headlines when researchers found that one in thirteen people wake up with a headache each morning. The study also showed that nearly 8% of those people had endured these morning headaches for at least four years. Those most likely to suffer from morning headaches are women between the ages of 45 and 64.

If you are one of these unfortunate people who wakes up with a headache, there are a variety of reasons you may be suffering this condition. These may include sleep apnea, teeth grinding or restless legs. Following are a discussion of a few of these things that may be causing your morning discomfort.

Sleep Apnea

Sufferers of sleep apnea often complain that even though they think they are getting a full night of sleep, they still feel tired during the day. Sleep apnea occurs when you stop breathing for a few seconds during sleep. This causes your body to wake itself up in order for you to start breathing again. Although this can occur several times each night, you are often unaware anything is wrong or that you have woken up during your sleep. It is estimated that about 18 million Americans suffer with sleep apnea.

One of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea is a morning headache. Many people also say that they wake up feeling as if they have not slept at all. It is also common for sleep apnea sufferers to wake up with a dry throat. Those who live with you may tell you that you snore loudly during the night. They might also notice that you have spells of jumping suddenly in your sleep, then going right back to sleep.

Most of the symptoms of sleep apnea, including the morning headache, are caused by not sleeping deeply. If you believe you suffer sleep apnea, you need to see your doctor. A sleep study will be required to determine how severe your sleep apnea is. The most common treatment for sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. This machine has a mask which you will wear while you sleep to help keep you from stopping breathing.

Teeth Grinding

Grinding your teeth at night is another cause of morning headaches. While it is not uncommon for people to grind their teeth while they sleep, excessive teeth grinding can result in tightness and pain in the muscles of the jaw, neck and head. It is this muscle tightness that causes the morning head pain. This problem of teeth grinding and the resulting headaches can often be corrected with a device known as a 'night guard' that is fitted specially for you by your dentist. The night gaurd is a soft piece of plastic that fits between your teeth while you sleep to prevent you from grinding your teeth.

Restlessness in Bed

Another cause of morning time headaches is excessive tossing and turning during the night. The causes of nighttime restlessness can vary from daily stress to past stress that has been buried for years. If you feel your sleeping problems are caused by past stress, a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist can help you resolve these issues and restore good sleep.

A condition known as restless leg syndrome can also lead to a lot of movement in bed. In restless leg syndrome, you get a feeling that you must move your legs. Some suffers have described the feeling as the sensation that insects are crawling on the legs. Suggested ways to relieve these sensations include taking a hot bath before bed as well as giving up smoking, alcohol and caffeine. Your doctor may also prescribe iron or magnesium supplements to help relieve your symptoms. If your problems still persist, there are also several prescription medications now available for restless leg syndrome.

A Snoring Partner

Sometimes, it is not a problem with your health that is keeping you up, but instead a noisy bed partner. Studies show that sleeping with a partner who snores can cause you to lose as many as 50 minutes of sleep each night. That’s nearly an hour! Consider how this will add up over time.

The Cause of Snoring

Ever wonder what causes your partner or yourself to make those horrible snoring noises at night? Snoring is the result of relaxed muscles at the back of your throat vibrating when you breathe. Common reasons for snoring include chronic allergies, upper airway resistance, obesity, a stuffy nose and medication side effects.

If any of these causes apply to you, you need to deal with them quickly to improve both your sleep and your quality of health in general. Meanwhile, you may be able to find some relief by having your dentist fit you with a gum guard.

Quiet Time Anxiety

Believe it or not, at exactly the time people try to relax and sleep, anxieties and worries begin to pop up in their minds. This happens because during the day, there is enough going on that we are able to push these worries to the back of our minds. However, when we try to get quiet and lie down to sleep, theses worries can pop to the surface and keep us from sleeping properly.

While many people only suffer this quiet time anxiety occasionally when they lie down to sleep, there are others who deal with it on a daily basis. If you are one who suffers this problem on a daily basis, you should seek medical help to keep this problem from becoming worse and turning into a case of depression caused by sleep deprivation. This quiet time anxiety is another reason many people wake up with morning headaches.

Curing Headache Without Medication

Elizabeth Hayden suffered from migraines and headaches for 10 years. Now she no longer suffers from recurring migraines. Elizabeth has compiled 5 years of research findings in a concise guide on how to get rid of migraines without using medications. She uses very simple steps to reduce the pain and prevent them from striking again. Imagine being able to get rid of your migraines in 10 minutes without using medications, pills or spending a fortune on expensive treatments and specialists. This is the most complete guide you’ll read about migraine headaches.

Conclusion

There are several reasons why some people suffer from morning time headaches. Since many of these headaches stem from some medical problem, it is always a good idea to seek medical help if you suffer from morning time head pain. By treating the underlying health problem, you can also cure the resulting morning headaches.

Causes of Morning Headaches