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Waking Up With Headaches

Aastha Dogra
Are you fed up of waking up with an unbearable headache each morning? Do you want to know the causes as well as the treatment options for this condition? If yes, then the information given here is exactly what you need.
Almost all of us have experienced a headache, at least once in our lifetime. It can be defined as any kind of pain, discomfort, or heaviness, which a person experiences in the head, scalp, or the neck area.
Most headaches are harmless and there is nothing to worry about their occurrence, unless and until, they become so severe that they start interfering with your daily activities. For example, if you are unable to sleep or wake up every morning with a headache, it's time you identify the causes behind these and take some remedial measures to get rid of them.

Causes

  • If you are waking up with headache every morning, the reason could be a bad sleeping posture, i.e., maybe you have not taken an appropriate pillow, and are straining your head as well as neck muscles.
  • A person who is dehydrated is also more prone to waking up with a headache, the next morning.
  • Holding the urine for a long time and not relieving oneself in the night can result in waking up with a headache in the morning.
  • If a person has had alcohol in excess the previous night, it can lead to a hangover, and can make a person wake up with an aching head in the middle of the night.
  • Intake of caffeine in excess is another reason for this problem.
  • A person suffering from stress or depression, may find herself waking up with an excruciating ache in the head every day. Migraine, a type of tension headache, often has people waking up with severe pain in the head and nausea, in the morning.
  • It can also be caused, if a person clenches or grinds his teeth while sleeping. Clenching the teeth in sleep can make the muscles of the cheek as well as the neck very tense, resulting in an aching head the next morning.
  • Headaches during pregnancy, is quite normal, as it is one of the symptoms of morning sickness, which is experienced by majority of women in this condition.

Treatment

To get rid of this health condition, a person can take over-the-counter painkillers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. If it is due to migraine, taking non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs or prescription medications that are specifically meant for people suffering from migraine, will help.
However, these medications are only a temporary solution, i.e., they can only minimize the pain for the time being, but can't do anything to get rid of the problem completely or prevent its future occurrence. Moreover, if pain medications are taken very frequently, they can even cause rebound aching.
Thus, in order to avoid this, and for a long-term solution, a person has to make a few lifestyle and dietary changes.
  • By doing yoga and exercising regularly, a person should manage stress better.
  • A person should undertake a healthy diet, and avoid caffeine, alcohol, or other foods that might trigger a headache.
  • Sleeping on a comfortable bed and drinking lots of water every day, are some other things a person can do to avoid this condition.
  • Acupressure and a regular head massage can provide relief from headaches.
Although, this is nothing to worry about, especially if it happens once in a while, yet if it is accompanied by some other symptoms, such as, problems in vision and speech, confusion, inability to move certain body parts, loss of memory, and inability to maintain balance, or if it occurs suddenly and violently, a doctor should be contacted immediately.