What causes morning headaches? Waking up with headache is among the most unwanted things you have to face as you startup your day. Stress, work load, tension, depression are some of the conditions which are triggers of early morning headaches and make you wake up with headache in front of head. Why am I waking up with a headache? You need to reconsider your sleeping pattern and work schedule as you face such problems. Waking up with headache and nausea are unpleasant and disrupting as well. In this article we will learn the causes of waking up with headache every day and the easy remedies.
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Why you Wake up with Headache Every Day?
Waking up with a headache everyday is among one of the most awful experiences. It is important to consider the type of pain you are suffering from, the place or location of the pain and associated symptoms if any. There are number of factors which result in waking up with a headache every day.
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Stress, Work load and Tension:
Why am I waking up with a headache? One of the main causes of recurrent headaches is stress, anxiety, tension and work load. Headaches which are caused by these mentioned factors result in dull pain and feeling of tightness on the forehead. You wake up with headache in front of head. Sometimes these headaches are mistaken as migraine headaches but since they are mostly non nauseous and there is no light sensitivity in the patient they are different from migraine headaches. If you are suffering from tension headaches, they are generally worst during the early morning hours.
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Improper Sleeping Pattern:
When you are deprived of sleep body responds by increasing blood pressure, hormonal production, increased heart rates etc. The headaches caused due to improper sleeping patterns or lack of enough sleep feels sore and is usually heavy and strained. On the other hand, too much sleep can also result in frequent headaches. You need to reschedule your sleeping patterns as you suffer from such headaches. Waking up with a headache every morning? Changes in lifestyle will help you.
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Improper Body Posture:
When you wake up with headache every morning along with certain body aches like cervical pains, shoulder pain or pain in any other part of the body, it is mainly due to the sleeping in wrong position. Waking up with headache in back of head, sore skull is an indication of improper body posture you have had while sleeping. Waking up with a headache and neck pain is an indication of improper sleeping posture.
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Big gaps Between Meals:
People with improper eating schedules, like big gaps between meals suffer more frequently from headaches; this is due to the drop in blood sugar level from long starving hours. When you sleep without meal at night it results in decline in the blood sugar level and as a result you are at increased risk of waking up with headache every morning. Most of the people suffering from migraine also get migraine attacks as they frequently skip their meals.
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Grinding your Teeth:
When you grind your teeth too often especially while sleeping it can result in some vibrations which move up to the skull and results in frequent headaches. It can also result in soreness of jaws. Waking up with a headache every morning is common in the people who grind their teeth while sleeping. This headache is a main reason of waking with a headache in the middle of the night.
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Cluster Headaches:
If you are waking up with headache and nausea this may be due to cluster headaches. In terms of frequency and pain, these are considered as worst kind of headaches or awakening headaches. Person suffering from cluster headaches experiences sharp stabbing and pulsating pain which is too intense and can result in waking up with headache behind eyes, sweaty and pale skin, runny nose, swelling around the eyes etc. These headaches sometimes occur seasonally and last up to few weeks.
Natural and Effective Ways to Get Rid of Waking up with Headache Everyday:
Why am I waking up with a headache? There are some natural and effective ways to get rid of such type of headaches. It is important for you to find out the cause of your headache, once the cause is discovered; you can treat your headache easily.
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Take Regular Meals:
As discussed above, some headaches are caused because of the drop in blood sugar level. It is therefore important to check your meal patterns. Don’t let your blood sugar drop and eat whenever you experience hunger.
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Icy Hot Patches:
The icy hot patches when applied on the skin can penetrate deeply and hence these are considered ideal for the treatment of headaches. If you are experiencing headaches due to improper posture or musculoskeletal aspects you can make use of icy hot compress. For better results you can use it twice a day, once after getting up in the morning and one before sleeping at night.
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Stay Hydrated:
Keeping the body hydrated is the key to solve many health concerns especially headaches. It is seen that people tend to withdraw water uptake few hours before sleep so that they don’t have to wake up at night for washroom visits. If you are among such people list and suffering from headaches as well, reconsider your choice. Taking a glass of water before sleep can keep your body cells hydrated and reduce the risk of waking up with headache.
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Cold Shower:
Some headaches are caused due to vaso-dilation of the blood vessels supplying blood to brain. Taking cold bath to constrict such blood vessels will limit the amount of blood being supplied to brain and is an easy and effective way of getting rid of headaches. Adjust the temperature of the bath so that it is enough to cause vaso-constriction of the underlying blood vessels.
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Increased Physical Activity:
Keeping yourself physically active is another way of getting rid of headaches. Exercise is the best option, as you perform exercise like aerobics, yoga or swimming; brain releases some signals which are likely to reduce the pain response and makes you feel relieved and comfortable. A good sleep is also needed to get the similar results. It is however important to start with moderate exercise as intense exertion can increase pain especially if you are suffering from migraine.
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Adequate sleep and proper sleeping posture:
Reconsider your sleeping pattern, you need a continuous 6-8 hours sleep to make you feel relaxed and active the next morning. Take smooth and comfortable pillows and keep your body well aligned. If you feel cold at night or use air conditioners, you can take comforters to stay warm. Low temperature stiffens the muscles of neck and can result in headaches.
When to see your doctor?
For most of the headaches, changes in lifestyle are enough to get relieve. While in case of intense pain you can take over the counter medicines. It is important to report your headaches to your health care provider as sometimes they are indication of traumatic head injury, ruptured blood vessel or brain tumor. It is therefore important to seek immediate medical supervision if you experience:
- A thunderclap like intense headache
- Headaches getting worst and sudden changes in the pattern.
- Headaches which are followed by any head injury.
- Headaches accompanied by fever, nausea and speaking difficulties.
- Sudden headaches especially if you are over 50 years of age.
Bottom Line:
Waking up with headache everyday is an annoying situation. There are several reasons of such frequent headaches. It is important to determine the root cause of headaches before finding the options of treatment. Some key factors which contribute to waking up with headache every day are improper sleep, dehydration, big gaps between meal along with stress and depression. There are some and effective remedies for such headaches like intake of adequate sleep and water, proper meals, stress free mode of life, over the counter medicines to get relief from the pain. however, if you experience the symptoms getting worst even after medication, you need to consult your doctor.
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