What is Your Morning Headache Telling You?
By Sara Butler
Waking up with a headache is not a great way to start the day. Morning headaches can be more than painful; they can be annoying and confusing too! What could you have possibly done to bring this headache on if you’re been asleep? Well, the truth is there are many things that can cause you to wake up with a headache in the morning. If this has become part of your morning routine, this might be what your body is trying to tell you.
Not Enough Sleep
If your body is rebelling in the morning, then it might be because you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Your body needs sleep in order to function at its best and if you’re not getting the eight or so hours you need a night, then a headache may be your body’s way of letting you know.
The reason you probably have a headache after a bad night’s rest is that your body is in fight-or-flight mode. The hormones that cause this reaction also cause higher blood pressure, stress, and your heart to beat faster. That results in – you guessed it – a headache!
A nap may need to be taken to help relieve the headache and get your nervous system to take a chill pill to get rid of that throbbing in your cranium.
Too Much Sleep
Your head is fickle because too little sleep causes a headache but so does too much sleep! Getting too much sleep at night can cause the level of serotonin in the brain to decrease and that can trigger a headache by reducing blood flow to the brain.
These headaches are often experienced on the weekends as you try to catch up from lack of sleep during the week. Unfortunately, you can’t fool your brain out of that sleep deficit. Your best course of action is to go to bed at around the same time each night and wake up around the same time, too.
Not Enough Coffee
When your brain is used to getting caffeine, lack of it can trigger a headache. If you don’t get your fix at the right time of day – the time your body expects it – then a headache will let you know. Caffeine withdrawal leads to an expansion of the blood vessels in the brain. This allows more blood to flow into your brain and increase pressure, resulting in a headache.
If your morning headaches persist, discuss it with the doctor at The Joint chiropractic!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Wayne, N.J.