There can be a number of issues causing the headaches.
Below are a list of the common things that can cause a headache after you wake up:
- Not getting enough sleep. This can lead to irritability. When we do not get enough sleep, we do not perform at our peak.
- Dehydration is the number one cause of headaches. The recommended amount of water you should drink is eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. If you go out for an adult beverage after work make sure you drink more water. Alcohol causes major dehydration.
- Sleeping on the wrong pillow. (See pillow types below)
- Teeth grinding. This can be caused from stress. If it is persistent you can buy a mouth guard or have a dentist make a custom one for you.
- Snoring is another big problem. You can snore simply because you are too tired or it can be related to a condition such as sleep apnea.
It would be welcome to keep a sleep journal to track how you are feeling upon waking up. Writing down all details which might be linked to the symptoms you are experiencing, such as where your headaches are located and what was special about the events prior to bedtime. This will help you determine where exactly the latent reasons for headaches are to be found. You might also want to talk to a healthcare professional regarding persistent headaches to make sure there is not an underlying medical issue that needs to be addressed.
Was there anything that happened yesterday that may have triggered the headache? Perhaps eating a poor quality food or drinking not enough water.
Types of headaches
There are many types of headaches one can have upon waking in the morning:
- Migraine or tension headaches. These could be from stress or dehydration.
- Caffeine or medication withdrawal.
- Sinus headaches.
- Head or neck disorder such as a herniated disk.
- Cluster headaches. These are the least common type.
There is one more trouble that can provoke migraines. If you wear prescription glasses make sure you are getting your eyes checked once a year. You may not even notice if your vision changes slightly. If the headaches keep on bothering you and they are physically waking you from your slumber, see your doctor sooner rather than later, especially if those pains are accompanied by blurred vision, stiff neck, rash, fever or vomiting.
Stress
Stresses do matter when it comes to a restful night sleep. A huge spectre of problems can induce the stress whether it is financial, family or just life. Keeping a steady sleep routine is a perfect way to help minimize stress. If stress is seeping into almost every aspect of your daily life, you may want consider talking with a mental health professional to help manage the stress.
Sleep Patterns
Let’s discuss a bedtime routine. The average adult needs anywhere from 7-9 hours of sleep a night. It would be useful to establish a bedtime routine which can include the following:
- Drink a cup of hot tea or simply hot water with honey and lemon.
- Read a real book, not an E-reader.
- Soft music
- Diffusing essential oils.
A good bedtime routine is helpful for clearing our minds. Make sure the routine does not include such things like watching TV. Most of us do not realize how much information we process throughout the day. Information is coming at us in all directions from the internet, social media, television, radio, etc. There are televisions almost everywhere we go, music playing in every single grocery store. The list goes on. My point is this, a perfect solution for improving your bedtime routine is to help the brain shut down for the night and get a restful night sleep.
Electric devices
These devices throw off our natural “circadian rhythm”. Some of us like to scroll through social media to help us fall asleep but this is actual counter intuitive and keeps us awake. Most of us are guilty of using the alarms on our phones to wake us up in the morning. We reach for the phone, turn the alarm off and then before we even stretch or wake up we are already scrolling through our email, Facebook, etc. So it would be a fine option to get an old school alarm clock and leave the smart phone in the other room.
Pillow type
Using the wrong type of pillow can trigger pains in your neck and even be a source of huge headaches. It may sound weird but sleeping with a pillow that is too soft is a very common cause of waking up with a headache because it strains your neck and decreases the blood flow to your brain. You can try sleeping without a pillow, maybe try this on a day when you do not have plans the next day. See how you feel. Our body naturally adjusts to the position. If it doesn’t work out you can try a cloth to support your neck.
Feeling fatigued
All of the issues I just mentioned are common reasons for fatigue. It is hard to function when you feel tired and worn out. This can be caused by:
- Too much exercise or lack thereof.
- Lack of sleep.
- Eating habits.
- Certain medical conditions.
An excellent way to combat fatigue is to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and add more vitamins and minerals to your diet. One more thing you should try is taking Fulvic Minerals also known as Fulvic Acid. This prodigal substance has been highly praised by the scientific community during last decades.
Sometimes headaches are triggered by a magnesium deficiency. This element combats the inflammations and strengthens the cell membranes so that not to give a migraine a slightest chance. But trace mineral benefits of magnesium are not limited to relieving headaches solely. Also it helps strike the balance of elements within the human body, soothing its nervous system and fixing impaired sleep patterns. You may take all the beneficial trace minerals like magnesium both as a pure supplement and as a part of shilajit.
Making a simple change at a time can have a huge impact on your health. Happy sleeping!
