Morning Headache Causes
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Defined Tag: Other Headache Types.

What Causes Morning Headaches?

Waking up with a splitting headache is not the best way to start your day.  Yet, a medical report revealed that one in thirteen people wake up each morning with a headache. In the same study, approximately 7.6% of the 18,980 respondents reported to have endured morning headaches for about four years. More women and people who are 45-64 years old were said to experience these headaches.

If you can relate to the foregoing, it might help to know that there are many causes for your morning headaches.  This article attempts to discuss these reasons that would hopefully give you ideas on how to resolve your headache problems.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a common disorder where one stops breathing for a few seconds during sleep. In the United States, approximately 18 million Amerians are believed to  be suffering from sleep apnea.  Individuals with sleep apnea are often unaware of having had difficulty in breathing even upon awakening. Thus, they remain puzzled with their feelings of fatigue and sleepiness despite of what they thought of having a full night sleep the night before.

Waking up tired, disoriented and with a headache are few of the symptoms of sleep apnea. These interruptions of breathing affect the quality of sleep thereby depriving the individual of the restorative benefits from sleep. Other indicators include heartburn or sour taste in the mouth at night that can lead to feeling as if your throat is dry when you wake up. Common too are loud snoring while asleep, or being startled awake with a loud snort and falling back to sleep.

Sleep apnea prevents the individual from entering long periods of deep sleep that in turn causes most of the symptoms. If you suspect that you’re suffering from this sleep disorder, see a doctor immediately. He can order a thorough physical exam and a polysomnography study to measure just how severe is your sleep apnea.  Depending on the diagnosis, you will be advised on behavioral changes that include changing sleeping positions or be treated using mechanical ventilation.  While you sleep, you will be required to wear a nasal cap attached to a machine called CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), which blows air into the airway continuously, preventing its collapse.

Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding or bruxism is involuntary clenching and gnashing of the teeth.  While half of the population occasionally grinds their teeth, around five per cent are habitual and forceful. Excessive gnashing can cause jaw problems, ear pain, headaches, and dental damage. Bruxism is usually an expression of mental stress or it can be due to incorrect tooth alignment.  Other than stress management therapy, you can resort to dental treatment option.  Your dentist can easily fit you with a "nightguard", a plastic dental appliance that you wear like a retainer. It serves as a cushion between your upper and lower teeth and absorbs the force during the clenching and the grinding. You can also try searching the Internet for moldable plastics in DIY-like kits.

Restlessness in Bed

There are times when you keep on tossing and turning in bed instead of sleeping restfully at night.  This can lead to a headache upon waking up. Such restlessness arises from current and everyday stressors at work or at home. It can also be traced to buried stresses from past incidents. It is advisable to consult with a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist to help you clear these issues.

The restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder of the nervous system that affects movements of the legs. It is also considered as a sleep disorder because it usually interferes with sleep. People affected by RLS experience strange sensations in their legs often described as "insects crawling underneath the skin" and feel that they must constantly move their legs to relieve the sensations. Remedies suggested include taking a hot bath prior to going to bed, and abstinence from drugs, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.  When you see your doctor about RLS, he will have to rule out any underlying medical conditions. Then he might recommend magnesium or iron supplements or prescribe specific medications to relieve those symptoms.
 
Snoring Partner

Your morning headaches could also be a result of not being able to get a full night of sleep.  Often times this is due to the snoring of your partner. If the person you sleep with snores, studies show that you can lose nearly an hour of sleep at night. Adding them up over time can lead to huge sleep debts.

Night Groans

Snoring occurs when the tissues surrounding the opening at the back of the throat vibrate, causing the particles in the air to produce sound waves, not unlike the vocal chords vibrating to form the voice.  Snoring is caused by several factors including chronic allergies, upper airway resistance, stuffy nose, obesity and side effects of medication.

If you suspect any of these are applicable to your case, you may need to consult with your doctor. Sometimes, simple lifestyle changes are all it takes to resolve your problem. Your doctor may recommend treatment to dilate your nasal passages if necessary. However, if you have a jaw or mouth abnormality that is causing nasal obstruction, your dentist may fit you with a mouthpiece that may correct the problem and lessen snoring.

Quiet Time Anxiety

When people lie down to sleep, it is very common for thoughts, particularly worries and other anxieties, to come rushing in to one’s consciousness. These concerns are temporarily forgotten during the day as the mind is distracted with the tasks at hand or entertained by other activities. It is during moments of silence when these anxious thoughts surface and demand attention.

Generally speaking, a person experiences this situation only during times when he or she is dealing with a special problem or issues.  As the problem is resolved, these thoughts disappear. There are some people who suffer indefinitely from these nocturnal anxiety attacks and head towards depression. If you are bothered with the same condition, it is best for you to consult your physician right away.

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