Headache waking up
If you experience headache waking up, repeatedly, you know first-hand how painful and stressful it can be. Instead of waking up because you feel rested or because your alarm clock was set to a certain time, you get yanked out of sleep, early in the morning with a pounding headache.
I kept good hydration, a healthy diet, and some mild exercise, yet I kept waking up at 4am from a throbbing headache. I was eventually diagnosed with migraine. If you lead a generally healthy lifestyle, yet you keep waking up with a headache, it is time to examine it closely.
Common causes of headache waking up:
Insomnia:
Insomnia can disturb normal sleep patterns and cause sleep deprivation. Struggling to fall asleep, frequent awakening during the night and restless sleep can cause any person a headache. Sleep deprivation is the leading cause of morning headaches.
Snoring or sleep apnea:
One study showed that 1 in 5 people with sleep apnea reported morning headaches. Sleep apnea causes the person to stop breathing at times throughout the night. Your doctor may send you to a sleep lab for a night in order to examine your sleep pattern and rule out sleep apnea.
TMJ disorder (temporomandibular joint):
This disorder causes pain, swelling, and clicking in your jaw. Headache is one of the most common symptoms of TMJ. It requires a doctor’s diagnosis. Successful TMJ disorder treatment will resolve the headache as well.
Strained muscles in the neck.
This could also be the reason for the headache waking up. You need to evaluate your sleep position and the pillows you use to support your neck and spine. If the pillow is too soft, it won’t support your neck properly. Yet, if it is too hard, it may create too much of an angle between your neck and the rest of your spine. I sleep on a latex pillow of medium height and it greatly improved my neck comfort.
Anxiety or depression:
Studies have found that people who suffer from both depression and anxiety have the highest risk of morning head pain.
Medications:
There are certain medications that disrupt normal sleep patterns and can cause morning headaches. For me, for example, the antidepressants prescribed to prevent migraines, caused headache waking up. Same with beta-blockers and birth control pills. If you are taking any medications, check for those types of side effects and talk to your doctor.
Other causes:
- Caffeine withdrawal
- Too frequent use of over-the-counter medications
What if you have a great mattress and pillow that supports your spine? What if you already worked with your doctor to exclude the possibility of sleep apnea, mental health issues, insomnia, or TMJ, but you still experience headache waking up? What else could it be?
Could it be a migraine?
One of the biggest clues that it could be a migraine is the fact that it happens in the early morning hours.
Did you know that more than half of migraine attacks happen between 4am and 9am? I can personally attest to that as most of my migraine attacks happen early in the morning – so headache waking up in my case is very much a migraine.
Another set of clues lies in the types of symptoms that are characteristic of migraine.
Please, note that migraine is not just another headache. It is a complex condition that comes with a number of symptoms such as:
- Throbbing pain, often on one side of the head/face/neck
- Pain above the eyes, around the temple area, neck, and lower face
- Nausea and vomiting
- Lightheadedness, fainting
- Pain that gets worse with physical activity or leaning forward
- Changes in vision and visual disturbances (like seeing sparkling lights, flashing, blind spots in vision, losing vision in one eye)
- Skin sensations – like feeling pins and needles on one side of the body, numbness, sensitivity to hot, and cold
- Language challenges – like trouble finding the right word, issues with concentration, expression of thoughts etc.
One of my posts outlined all migraine symptoms by stage of the attack – from prodrome to aura, to pain to postdrome phase. Read it here to familiarize yourself with all the symptoms if you suspect your headache waking up may be a migraine.
Migraine diagnosis importance
If your headache waking up is indeed a migraine, you need to obtain a proper diagnosis. Why? Because, in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, only half of those identified with migraine had seen a doctor for headache-related reasons in the previous 12 months, and only two-thirds had been correctly diagnosed. Most were solely reliant on over-the-counter medications which often perpetuates the cycle of pain. This impacts a lot of things: quality of life, ability to tackle acute headache phases,
If you suspect that your headache waking up is in fact a migraine, you need to see your doctor as soon as possible.
You need to take these critical steps to ensure you receive an accurate diagnosis.
1. Find a headache specialist or a headache clinic.
Schedule an appointment with your primary care provider. Sometimes they attempt to diagnose and prescribe medications for migraines. But you need to ask them for a referral to a neurologist or a headache clinic. Tip: avoid the temptation to save time on seeing the specialist. Migraines are a complex condition. It is not just another headache and proper treatment requires thorough diagnostic workup and deep expertise.
2. Be thorough about all your migraine symptoms.
When you get a referral and see the headache specialist, they will likely ask a lot of questions about your symptoms but also order some imaging tests for the head. It is very important to have the imaging done. You want to exclude the worst possibilities first like tumors, cancer, etc.
3. Have a robust discussion about your migraine diagnosis with your physician.
Once all tests are done, you see the specialist for a follow-up and discuss your treatment and medication plan. This is your opportunity to ask a lot of questions. What did the tests show? If the diagnosis is migraine, then ask what type of migraine it is. Ask, how the doctor if he/she thinks there are any other possibilities in terms of diagnosis. You need to walk away from this meeting with a high confidence level about your diagnosis and know all the background about how this diagnosis was made.
According to healthline.com, Migraine is the third most prevalent illness in the world, and nearly 1 in 4 U.S. households includes someone with migraine.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the persistent issue of a headache waking up can be a perplexing and distressing experience, disrupting your daily life and well-being. As we’ve explored, there are various potential causes for this phenomenon, ranging from sleep disorders like insomnia to physical factors like strained neck muscles or TMJ disorder, and even medication side effects. However, one crucial factor to consider, especially if your early morning headaches persist, is the possibility of migraine.
Migraines often manifest in the early hours, with distinctive symptoms like throbbing pain, nausea, and visual disturbances. Recognizing these signs is essential, as migraine is a complex condition requiring proper diagnosis and management. Sadly, as statistics indicate, many individuals remain undiagnosed or rely solely on over-the-counter remedies, impacting their quality of life.
If you suspect your morning headaches are indeed migraines, seeking professional help from a headache specialist or clinic is imperative. Be thorough in describing your symptoms and undergo necessary imaging tests to rule out other potential causes. Engage in open discussions with your physician to gain a comprehensive understanding of your diagnosis and treatment plan.
Remember, migraine is a prevalent and serious condition, affecting millions worldwide. By taking proactive steps to obtain an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment, you can significantly improve your overall well-being and regain control over your life, ensuring that the days of waking up with a pounding headache become a distant memory.
Migraine Blog
If you are interested in reading more from Anastasia on living with migraine please click on the button to the right to see the full list of her blog articles!