Waking up in the cold and dark isn’t exactly fun to begin with.
But if you’re starting your day with a splitting headache as well, turning your mornings around can feel next to impossible.
The NHS says that “most headaches go away on their own and are not a sign of something more serious.”
However, Dr Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, a sleep medicine physician and Director of the Sleep Disorders Center, told health provider Cleveland Clinic: “If you’re dealing with chronic headaches, or headaches that seem to appear as soon as you wake up, it could be a sleep disorder.”
What can cause headaches when I wake up in the morning?
According to health information site Medical News Today, a common cause is sleep apnea.
This condition means people stop breathing throughout the night. It might also make you sleepy in the daytime and cause loud snoring. It should be treated as soon as possible as it can be dangerous if left uninvestigated.
“We think more than half of the people with sleep apnea have headaches,” Dr Foldvary-Schaefer said. “The classic scenario is that a person wakes up with a headache each day, which goes away within four hours.”
Bruxism, which involves grinding your jaw as you sleep, can also cause a “dull headache” when you wake up as well as unexplained ear pain.
In a cruel twist of nature, insomnia (an inability to sleep well) can also cause tension headaches, Dr Foldvary-Schaefer says. This “can make it harder to sleep, which can lead to more headaches.”
Depression and anxiety, hangovers, oversleeping, dehydration, migraines, and cluster headaches are other potential causes.
When should I see a doctor about my morning headaches?
If you notice headaches alongside other symptoms like jaw pain, difficulty sleeping, loud snoring, or exhaustion, see your doctor.
The NHS says you should also visit your GP if:
- your headache keeps coming back
- painkillers do not help and your headache gets worse
- you have a bad throbbing pain at the front or side of your head – it could be a migraine or, more rarely, a cluster headache
- you feel sick, vomit and find light or noise painful
- you regularly get headaches before or during your period.
It can be helpful to keep a headache diary, they add.