Headache on waking: why? should we be worried? solutions?

The headache on waking are quite common, and far from pleasant. They are often benign, but if they occur regularly, it is important to seek the cause of the problem to treat it.

The International Headache Society recognizes over 200 different forms of headache. Those in the morning can take different forms:

• HeadachesOf voltage, characterized by mild to moderate headaches that grip the skull like a vise or helmet and spread to the forehead and temples. Note, they can be spontaneous or chronic (more than 15 times a month, for at least 3 months) and are sometimes accompanied by intolerance to light and / or noise.
• Migraines, characterized by severe pain in the temples. They are recognized by their intensity: they are the cause of intense, throbbing and sudden pain, which occurs in crises. They are sometimes accompanied by nausea and intolerance to light and/or noise.
• Finally, headaches can be linked to sinusitis. In this case, the pain is more intense when lying down, and is felt by a bar in the forehead, eyes, nose.

Depending on the case, the headache may occur every morning, or from time to time. Most of the time, these are causes such as:

Other causes can also explain it:

• A sinusitis, whose symptoms may be aggravated if you sleep with your head tilted forward. Note, in this case, you may also have a stuffy nose when you wake up.
• Bruxism. Grinding your teeth at night, or clenching your jaw too hard while sleeping can cause headaches when you wake up. It is also often accompanied by pain on the side of the face, in the mandible, or even inside the mouth.

• Sleep apnea. It can cause headaches when you wake up, or even during the day, for lack of restful sleep.
• Hormonal changes. They can cause headaches when you wake up, especially during pregnancy, or during menopause. They can also be accompanied by nausea or even vomiting.
• High blood pressure. If accompanied by hot flashes, waking headaches may be a sign of high blood pressure. Other symptoms can alert: dizziness, tinnitus or a feeling of heaviness in the head.
• A restless leg syndrome. The exact mechanism between headaches and restless leg syndrome is not yet known, but the two are well linked. It remains to diagnose this syndrome.
• Diabetes. Diabetes can cause morning headaches, sometimes accompanied by dizziness.

If you feel moderate pain when you wake up, an effective solution is to take an analgesic: paracetamol oribuprofen (in the absence of contraindications). These two drugs work quickly on simple tension headaches and mild sinusitis.

First, check that the position in which you sleep is comfortable and suitable: your posture should allow your head, neck and spine to be aligned. Take a rest during the day, hydrate throughout the day and limit them sources of stress and anxiety.

If you rather suffer from migraines upon waking, consult your doctor instead, who will prescribe more suitable medication. Note that some sinusitis also requires treatment with antibiotics.

A benign and spontaneous headache should not worry. But if he becomes recurring and the pain is getting more and more throbbing, consult your doctor, who will refer you, if necessary, to a specialist. Various examinations may be necessary after the clinical examination, to confirm or invalidate the initial diagnosis.

• Nausea and vomiting attacks that accompany headaches on waking should be a warning signthey can, in very rare cases, reveal the presence of a brain tumour.
• If you experience headaches that are accompanied by tinglingor evenparalysis, in the arm, you may be having a stroke. These pains may be associated with speech difficulties, loss of visual acuity, paralysis of part of the face or mouth, or loss of motor skills in an arm or leg. or even half of the body.
• Headaches can also occur during pregnancy. If you entered in your 3rd trimester of pregnancyquickly consult your gynecologist: this pain may be the warning sign of pre-eclampsia.
• If your headache occurs one morning after a recent accident, you may be suffering from a cerebral hematoma (a mass of blood that forms in the brain after the rupture of a vessel and can have serious consequences).