More than 15 percent of adults in the U.S. complain about severe headaches, the condition primarily persistent in women.
Even if you’re not a headache sufferer, however, chances are you’ve had your share of this problem — especially as soon as you wake up in the morning. Following are the possible causes of this problem.
1. You grind your teeth in your sleep
Teeth grinding causes tension to the neck, temples, and forehead — which therefore leads to tension headaches. Worse, grinding your teeth can cause it to file down into just stubs that eventually expose the nerve endings of the teeth.
If you tend to grind your teeth while awake, chances are you do the same thing asleep. Even if this isn’t an emergency, visit your dentist in South Jordan and get fitted for a bite guard.
2. Sleep apnea causes restless sleep
If you’re overweight, sleep apnea is a possible problem. While the condition isn’t limited to overweight people, it is more prevalent for those who have added fat in their bodies. You have a problem getting in oxygen while sleeping, causing the headaches once you wake up.
Sleep apnea is best diagnosed by someone else who is observing your sleep. If your partner complains about you snoring a lot or if you’re really tired in the morning even after a full night’s sleep, you may have this condition.
3. It could be caffeine withdrawal
If you’re a big coffee drinker throughout the day, the early morning headache could be your body telling you that it needs coffee. Caffeine has a big impact on the body, especially if you’re a big drinker and start to withdraw from it.
Note that coffee is a diuretic just like alcohol — and headache is a common symptom of a hangover. While you can fight the headache by simply drinking a cup in the morning, it’s usually best to not have the headache at all. You can do this by avoiding coffee in the afternoon or before you go to sleep.
4. You had a restless sleep
Perhaps you also had a bad sleep and just haven’t realized it. People with sleep movement disorders tend to have interrupted sleep through the night — causing tension to their body that leads to a huge headache in the morning.
If you suffer from a restless sleep, it’s often best to have a relaxing routine before going to bed. Doing some yoga, listening to music, or having a relaxing skin care routine can help prepare your mind so that you can to bed relaxed.
5. You have insomnia
If you didn’t get your 8 hours of sleep, then it’s not a surprise that you have a headache in the morning. While this is not true for all — studies have shown that insomnia can lead to headache wake-up calls.
This is due to the fact that you didn’t give your body enough time to recuperate, and thus the increased tension as your body tries to keep the energy up for the following day. If insomnia occurs regularly for you, make a point of adjusting a part of your daily schedule that could be triggering the problem.
Of course, those are just some of the possible causes of the problem. If the headaches are persistent and excruciating, a visit to the doctor is often best.
