Medical Moment: Dealing with Morning Headaches
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(WNDU) – If you wake up with a headache in the morning, you’re not alone.
According to the Sleep Foundation, one in 13 people suffer from headaches in the morning.
There are four main types of headaches; tension, migraine, cluster and sinus.
Treatments vary depending on the type of headache you have and how severe it is. Migraines can last for hours or days and can cause vomiting and nausea, but that’s the worst case scenario. You can use medication to treat them, or you can just wait. If it gets too serious, seek professional help.
Headaches can be caused by a multitude of factors, such as lack of sleep, caffeine, hunger or dehydration. To help relieve your pain, you can use an ice pack and put it on your forehead, neck, or scalp. You can also try sitting in a dark, quiet room, letting your mind settle into a less confused state.
If a headache lasts longer than 72 hours, it may indicate that you should see a medical professional. You should also consult a healthcare professional if the characteristics of the headache change, if you need more than the recommended amount of painkillers per day, and if natural bodily functions, such as coughing, sneezing, or bending over, cause a headache.
“They’re very common in people who are in their most productive years of life, so 20, 30, 40,” said Teshamae Monteith, MD, head of the Headache Division program at the University of Miami Health.
And having headaches in the morning can ruin the whole day. Common culprits behind these headaches are sleep disorders such as insomnia, snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea. A study in Poland found that almost a third of people with sleep apnea tend to wake up with a headache. A C-PAP machine to treat your sleep apnea can reduce or eliminate morning headaches.
“A C-PAP is the most commonly used and effective treatment for the most severe sleep apnea. It adds extra air pressure to the patient’s airway to stabilize breathing,” said Ryan Soose, MD, director of the Division of Sleep Medicine and Upper Respiratory Surgery at UPMC.
Teeth grinding or clenching during sleep is another reason for morning headaches.
Grinding can be caused by an irregularly shaped jaw, stress, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. And caffeine can cause morning headaches. Those who are used to drinking more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, the equivalent of two cups of coffee, may experience headaches in the morning due to their caffeine withdrawal overnight. However, once you’ve had your coffee, the headache should subside.
According to the Migraine Research Foundation headaches and migraines are the sixth most debilitating condition in the world.
More than four million people suffer from chronic migraines. Medications to treat these migraines are available, but there is no cure.
However, clinical trials are underway across the country.
For example, there is a clinical trial for migraines in Pearland, Texas, which is studying the effectiveness of atogepant, a certain type of oral medication that blocks natural substances in the body that create migraines. They use this drug to try to prevent migraines. The qualifications they are looking for are at least a history of migraines, failed medications and oral treatments, and a history of four to 14 migraines a day. There is also another in Sherman Oaks, California, conducted by the California Center for Neuroscience Research. They are testing the effectiveness of the study drug to help treat migraines. The duration of the study is 36 weeks and up to 13 visits for the participant.
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