You’ve likely had that feeling: you wake up in the morning and start feeling your head throbbing. Morning headaches aren’t unusual, and they happen to a lot of people. They are usually tied to sleep disorders and problems, and we discuss them thoroughly in this article.
Finding out why these headaches occur is essential in adjusting your lifestyle and considering possible treatments for sleeping problems.
Addressing the causes of your morning headaches would allow you to enjoy a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling better every morning.
You might be suffering from Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that can potentially be threatening to one’s health – it causes a person to have interruptions in breathing during sleep.
People suffering from obstructive sleep apnea experience a partial collapse of the throat muscle during sleep, interrupting a healthy flow of oxygen to the respiratory system.
The intermittent absence of breathing can cause a lack of oxygen, raise carbon dioxide levels in the blood, and increase pressure on the head.
Such an occurrence is a proven cause of morning headaches.
Some common signs and symptoms of sleep apnea to look out for are loud snoring, dry mouth feeling, and pauses in breathing during your sleep.
If you sleep with a companion in the room, let them observe your snoring patterns and listen for anything unusual in your snoring.
Sleep labs are also common in hospitals, where you would be hooked up to machines and observed for obvious signs of sleep apnea.
If sleep apnea causes chronic headaches, your sleep specialist may prescribe a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP).
Although a CPAP machine might initially feel unusual to use, ensuring that you breathe well during your sleep can help you eliminate those morning headaches.
Teeth grinding at night
The occurrence of teeth grinding or teeth clenching may sound like a simple habit that some people exhibit during their sleep, but this causes tension in your temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Strains in the joint can change your jaw’s positioning, which can cause a localized feeling of pain in your head.
Most teeth grinders or people who have bruxism may not realize that these occur as they sleep.
Some signs of bruxism to watch out for are irregularities in your teeth, such as flattening or fracturing the teeth.
People with bruxism may also feel unexplainable ear and tooth pain, headaches felt mostly near the ears, and frequent morning headaches.
Visiting a dentist can address the issue of teeth grinding, your dentist would fit you with a mouthguard to alleviate the effects of grinding during your sleep.
You might be intoxicated
Alcohol-related intoxication
We’ve all had that one night when we had a little too much to drink, what comes next is expected – a hangover.
Consuming alcoholic drinks raises blood-alcohol levels, which creates a diuretic effect, or makes your body urinate more than usual.
An increase in urination leads to your body dehydrating faster than usual, which often translates into headaches.
Likewise, alcohol intoxication disrupts normal sleep patterns during different cycles of your slumber. Sleeping while inebriated may lead you to experience more REM sleep than deep sleep, taking away the relaxing feeling of a good night’s rest.
Controlling your alcohol intake, and hydrating before you sleep after a night out can help avoid sleep problems.
Too much use of pain medication/drugs
Overuse of drugs, such as painkillers, may also lead to a medication overuse headache or MOH.
Some sufferers of headaches tend to intake more pain medication than usual, which can be counterintuitive.
Being intoxicated with excessive drugs can lead to a morning headache more than just having a night of deep sleep.
Excessive caffeine intake
If it isn’t obvious enough, people who intake caffeine excessively are at high risk of developing sleeping problems. The irregularity of sleep caused by caffeine intake is also a common cause of your early morning headache.
Reducing the amount of coffee you consume in a day or avoiding consuming caffeine too close to bedtime can help you sleep better and lead to a better feeling in the morning.
We recommend gradually reducing the intake of caffeine, as suddenly stopping may lead to caffeine withdrawal symptoms.
You could have a lot of sleep disturbances
A good night’s sleep can be achieved when you have the right conditions—a dark room with a comfortable, cool temperature and minimal noise.
Taking away any of those things can lead to a disrupted or uncomfortable sleep that can wake you up with a headache.
Apart from the sleeping environment, sleeping conditions can also contribute to your sleep’s overall comfort.
In some cases, a headache may result from using the wrong kind of pillow. Pillows that don’t support your head according to your body’s requirements can cause strain and pressure on your neck and shoulders.
The pain caused by muscle tension in the shoulders and stiffness of the neck can give off headaches in the morning.
Pillows designed with ergonomics in mind – such as the Ecosa Pillow would quickly ease the burdens of poor sleep from poor head support.
Using memory foam allows for the most comfort for your neck, and the adjustable pillow height ascertains that your Ecosa Pillow fits your needs.
Final Thoughts
There are a variety of reasons why you get different types of headaches in the morning, and knowing what causes your morning headaches is always the first step to managing it.
If your headaches continually bother you, do not hesitate to seek medical advice. While this guide may pinpoint your problems, it is still not a replacement for a proper medical assessment.
Looking for better sleep? Check out the Ecosa Pillow now.