I have been having real bad headaches while I am sleeping. I will wake in the middle of the night with an excruciating headache. I can't get up or move for the pain, until my head stops hurting. I just usually lay there until I fall asleep again. I've been having these headaches for a little over a year now. I tell my doctor but I guess they don't believe they are serious. I had a MRI done of my head but they say it was find and that was the end of it. Has anyone else have headaches like this?

yes.. i've had those episodes myself. although i'm not really clear if they may be anything other than migraines (continuously suffer from them myself). if the pain is excruciating enough for you then migraines could explain it. have you tried taking anything prior to going to bed? i.e. excedrin pm, tylenol pm, etc. if not.. that could help. or it seems to help me to some extent anyway.

Yeah, I've had a CT but no MRI...just a couple incidental findings that my docs say don't cause symptoms. I get the headaches during the day sometimes too, but they're worse at night. I've tried all the usual migraine stuff...imitrex, ultram, inderal, vicodin, acupuncture, etc...the only thing that's helped is topamax. I guess it can't be too serious, b/c I've had them for a few years & I'm still here.

I am notorious for getting headaches in the middle of the night. I hate it because that's when your body is supposed to be resting. Nothing is worse than waking up in pain. My hubby is used to waking up and hearing me rub my head, near tears. It's awful, I know.

I have told my Dr. the same thing. I don't know why sleep triggers the headaches, but for me it does. I took Pamelor for a while and I had great success with it. It was so great to sleep all night with no headaches. BUT, I couldn't tolerate some of the other side effects. I'm going back to my Dr. on Monday to try something new.

Good luck, I know how annoying a middle-of-the-night headache can be.

Jane

Yes, I too get severe headaches during the night and like right now I have one so bad, I woke up with it. Sometimes when I wake up with them I take some Asprin and drink alot of coffee and sometimes that seems to help. I don't know now I just took the Asprin. I don't think anyone understands unless they too get these bad headaches.

yes, I wake up with them too, no matter when I wake up whether its in the middle of the night or in the morning. Sometimes I get lucky and they go away once I get moving in the morning. No idea on why this occurs....my CT and MRI was normal also...????????

just a thought... could it be because when we're lying down more blood reaches our head and since the blood vessels may be restricted from muscle tension, etc. the forced pressure of the blood trying to reach our brains causes pain? hmm.... again.. just pondering :P

I think in my case, my docs are wrong about my pineal cyst being incidental. I've heard they can cause intermittent hydrocephalus, which could explain why my one CT didn't show it (the CT was scheduled, not ER...I didn't have a headache at the time). It also expains why it's worse at night (gravity) and why topamax helps (it decreases CSF production).

I have always wondered why night headaches occur. I am glad to hear that it happens to more people than just me. I really thought this wasn't normal. I think the above post about lying down and blood flow trying to flow might have some truth to it. It sure is hard to start the day with a headache, though.

Sometimes when I get up and walk around, my headache subsides too.

Jane

I have always wondered why night headaches occur. I am glad to hear that it happens to more people than just me. I really thought this wasn't normal. I think the above post about lying down and blood flow trying to flow might have some truth to it. It sure is hard to start the day with a headache, though.

Sometimes when I get up and walk around, my headache subsides too.

Jane

I also wake up with headaches, but its not everyday, i have a bad back so i sleep on a recliner and still get the headaches, and im not laying my head flat down. usually after i am up they go away. i do go to a chiropractor every once in awhile when i cant take the pain anymore, and it usually helps when he cracks my neck. i think it is the way my head moves when i am sleeping, kind if like tilted to the left and that may have something to do with my neck and headaches. i dont really know.

I also get middle of the nite migraines. Don't know why they hit then but it seems to be the times I wake up are the worse headaches. I usually take an Imitrex or Relpax, 3 Excedrin Migraine and and ice pack then go back to bed. If I can go back to sleep then it will be (mostly) gone in 2-4 hours. Good luck and if you find a "cure" for this let the rest of us know. :)
r

I have been having real bad headaches while I am sleeping. I will wake in the middle of the night with an excruciating headache. I can't get up or move for the pain, until my head stops hurting. I just usually lay there until I fall asleep again. I've been having these headaches for a little over a year now. I tell my doctor but I guess they don't believe they are serious. I had a MRI done of my head but they say it was find and that was the end of it. Has anyone else have headaches like this?

Have you investigated the possiblility of sleep apnea? It can cause headaches at night.

I wake up every night with a headache.At times they are so bad all I can do is cry.I have had x-rays,mri,mra,ct and shows nothing.Now my dr doesn't do anything about them.I haven't sleep all night in 3 years.I can go to bed and in 2 hrs I will wake with a h/a.I'm a nurse and I do know there is a night time headache but its getting the dr to do anything about it.I don't go to bed till 2-3 am cause I can't go to sleep and then when I do sleep I get woke up with a headache.
My h/a is always at the base of the skull in the back.I can't work cause of them.

As your Dr. about putting you on a mild BP med. I take 50mg. of atenalol at night and it seems to help for the most part. Then it the migraine hits in the middle of the nite I take Relpax and pain pill and go back to bed. Stress the MIGRAINE part to the Dr. My Dr. said if you have them under control during the day then no matter what you do it may still hit in the middle of the nite for some damn reason. :rolleyes:
Blessed Be- R.

My DR said it wasn't migraines and I was on a b/p med for awhile cause my pluse rate got up to 140 and it was due to hyperthyroidism.Now that I'm on a med for that its ok and I still had the h/a even taking it.
I'm thinking about a new Dr.

I've noticed when I wake up the left side of my face is swollen and my eye droops. The nerves don't seem to act right on that side until after lunchtime. Even down throughout the rest of my body but worse on my face. I don't seem to have a bad headache when I wake up just a little one but as the swelling fades the headache increases. This seems in keeping with the earlier reply about lying down and blood flow (or something else) being restricted. Anyone else with similars?

just a thought... could it be because when we're lying down more blood reaches our head and since the blood vessels may be restricted from muscle tension, etc. the forced pressure of the blood trying to reach our brains causes pain? hmm.... again.. just pondering :P

I've had similar thoughts...I've been to two neurogolists and they don't know why I get headaches when I lay down to sleep. I also tend to get more headaches when I swim. Hence I've deduced that the horizontal position of my body seems to be partially the culprit.

I've read all the messages for this thread and no one seems to have found a solution. Here's my treatment checklist:
1) migraines-try to eliminate dietary and other triggers and find really good migraine medications (I liked Imitrix and Frova, but you can't use them frequently. I also like Acetaminophen PM.)
2) deviated septum and/or enlarged turbinates may prevent air from flowing properly and hence cause headaches
3) sleep apnea
I don't know what else to do except elevate your head while you sleep to lessen the blood flow.

Hi, I'm new here. I also suffer with h/a's. The symptoms being: pain is always on the left side around my eye, my nose hurts, pain in my shoulder, cannot lie down as this makes it worse, feeling sick, the pain is excrutiating I feel like killing myself sometimes. My attacks are usually around 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, they last anything between 20 mins to an hour, I go back to sleep and can wake again in an hour or so and go through the cycle again. These attacks can go on for 3 months or longer, but when out of cycle I can go for a year or so with no attacks at all. Sound familiar with anyone?

I get head aches in the middle of the night, and if I do not take a pain killer I will have them for the rest of the day. I have allergies and of course I get congested which afect my sinuses. I think it has to see with that. As the sinuses get pressure as you are laying down.

Hi, I'm new here. I also suffer with h/a's. The symptoms being: pain is always on the left side around my eye, my nose hurts, pain in my shoulder, cannot lie down as this makes it worse, feeling sick, the pain is excrutiating I feel like killing myself sometimes. My attacks are usually around 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, they last anything between 20 mins to an hour, I go back to sleep and can wake again in an hour or so and go through the cycle again. These attacks can go on for 3 months or longer, but when out of cycle I can go for a year or so with no attacks at all. Sound familiar with anyone?

This is called a cluster migraine, if you ever come back and read this you will be relieved to know there is a diagnosis and possible hope.

You need to go to a neurologist and begin treatment so that you lessen the severeity of the next cluster period. 3months of pain is a long time and with good treatment it can either not occur again or be far less, I have only had one cluster so far but mine was a non-stop 24-7 11 week cluster period no 3am wake up it came on and never left. It is an extrememly rare case but still a cluster.

I am taking: for prevention
Topamax: 100 mg - 50mg 2 x day
Veralan PM 100 mg - 2 caps at bedtime
100 mg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 4 xs a day

For the cluster time I have statdose Imitrex 6 mg injection and for my other migraine I triptan/abortive I use 100 mg Imitex tablets as needed up to 9 a month.

Good luck and try searching for cluster migraines on google or yahoo and read as much as you can, it will help.
Brian

I also previously woke up with HA's or migraines but now I take a medicine called Diamox. It is a medicine that relieves pressure in the brain. I take it at night before I go to bed and it really helps waking up with a HA. I was skeptical at first that the pressure thing is what it was since Diamox is actually a diaretic. And yes, I do have to "go" in the middle of the night but only once. So to me it is well worth it. I sometimes still wake up with HA's but usually it is a much lighter one that I can handle with my morning meds. Remember: I used to wake up every day or night with major HA's and migraines usually starting the day off with pain level 5 HA. So from there I am already chasing the HA- I can't be proactive at anything.

Maybe ask your Dr. about this med. Start out with 1 tablet at night and if that doesn't work go to 2 or 3 or 4 etc. One patient at the clinic I go to takes 8-10 a night! They are hard to swallow to me though so drink alot of water or something.

Hope you get some relief soon! MOLLY :angel:

Try a different pillow or get one of those memory foam ones . Alot of headaches which occur during sleep are caused by neck tension.
Also look at what you are eating before bedtime , certain food preservatives or foods you are alergic to could be causing a problem .
try to stick with fresh fruits and foods which contain as little crap as possible before bedtime .

I've noticed with me that I have to be extra careful with what I eat late at night. Trigger foods will wake me with a terrible migraine also. Maybe keep an eye on what you are eating and see if that helps any.
Diane

Hi, I'm new here. I also suffer with h/a's. The symptoms being: pain is always on the left side around my eye, my nose hurts, pain in my shoulder, cannot lie down as this makes it worse, feeling sick, the pain is excrutiating I feel like killing myself sometimes. My attacks are usually around 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, they last anything between 20 mins to an hour, I go back to sleep and can wake again in an hour or so and go through the cycle again. These attacks can go on for 3 months or longer, but when out of cycle I can go for a year or so with no attacks at all. Sound familiar with anyone?

My husband is also going through this. Headaches that will wake him up after about an hour. The h/a's seem to spread out to his ear and jaw. He's had and MRA, MRI, CT Scan, and blood workup. Everything is coming back clean. He's never suffered from headaches before and he's 52. Does anyone have any idea what this is or what's causing it? Anything you could offer would be appreciated.

My husband is also going through this. Headaches that will wake him up after about an hour. The h/a's seem to spread out to his ear and jaw. He's had and MRA, MRI, CT Scan, and blood workup. Everything is coming back clean. He's never suffered from headaches before and he's 52. Does anyone have any idea what this is or what's causing it? Anything you could offer would be appreciated.
Hi. I am new to this site. I can see myself spending a lot of time here. I am replying to the "headache at night" posting. I was waking up many times during the night in 90's and it wasn't until my brother and I were discussing it that I diagnosed myself with cluster headaches. It was very frustrating for myself going from doctor to doctor and walking out with no answers. I used a lot of medication for these HA's that gave me many side effects that I did not like. Now when I get them I get perscribed oxygen in my home for a few months. I will never again take any pill during the months of my HA's. If these HA's are always waking your husband up I suggest researching up on cluster headaches. I'm glad I did.

Hi. I had all those symptions. These HA's are much different from migraine headaches. YOU CAN'T SIT STILL DURING THE ATTACK. I would rub my head as fast as I could. Paceing back and forth in a dark hallway. I found that cold air would help. I have stuck my head in the freezer, layed down on the floor with my face in the vent while my air conditioner was running, stood outside in the winter barefoot and no jacket on just to breath the cold air. I can relate to what you are going through. You are not alone.

My headaches come like clock work. Every night the same time. I am so afraid to go to sleep because I know what I will wake up to. I get between 1-5 headaches a night (not every night). Some nights I am HA free. Some times I have aborted the HA by crying out loud only for it to return later in the night. One time I stuck my finger down my throat over the toilet and the gagging stopped it for getting severe. I have been on Imetrix (pill and injection), verapimil, and a few other meds. The beginning of Spring this year my head was acting funny and I thought the worse. Here comes my clusters! Turns out it turned into a head cold (twice this Spring that lasted more than a month along with a bad cough). I wish there was more research done on cluster headaches (mine may be hormone related) but, not many people have them.
I hope you can find some thing that works for you. Everyone is different and what works for me (oxygen) may not work for you. Good luck.

I myself get really bad migrans, tylonel never works but I find if I take Advil my headaches are gone within a half hour.

Hi fellow sufferers!!

Alot of good information on this post. I've been suffering, diarizing and searching for answers since 1975 if you can believe it.

For me, I get most of my migraines and/or cluster h/as AFTER really stressful times. You have heard of students getting them AFTER final exams, welll AFTER games (I'm in sports) I will almost always wake up at 4 or 5 with a doozy of a headache.

While I'm 'off' in the summer time I run clinics that are non stop 24/7 and after they are finished I can count on someting happening with my head.

Unfortunately no medication has worked very well on them and the Dr.'s give me morphine IM to use at home which works great but isn't something I'm comfortable taking.

Zach016

I guess I'm lucky because my headaches are not migranes. I suspect they are connected to the tension I seem to carry in my neck and shoulders. What I find odd is that my head hurts only when I'm on my side. If I lie on my back, the pain almost goes away.

Problem is, I can't sleep on my back like I used to. I also have one of the Temperpedic pillows designed for side sleeping. I guess I should swap it out for a regular pillow and see if that helps.

It would be nice to have a deep shoulder massage before I go to bed!

:)

I guess I'm lucky because my headaches are not migranes. I suspect they are connected to the tension I seem to carry in my neck and shoulders. What I find odd is that my head hurts only when I'm on my side. If I lie on my back, the pain almost goes away.

Problem is, I can't sleep on my back like I used to. I also have one of the Temperpedic pillows designed for side sleeping. I guess I should swap it out for a regular pillow and see if that helps.

It would be nice to have a deep shoulder massage before I go to bed!

:)

That's EXACTLY what I have. Like muscle tension headaches, lower left base of the skull. Seems to happen only when I sleep on my right side. I have tried two doctors, a chiropractor, acupuncture, Valium, feng shui, and voodoo with eye of newt. Alcohol makes it worse. Stretching, exercise & weights help a little. I finally videotaped myself sleeping one night...I fell asleep on my back. About an hour in, I rolled onto my right side and within 30 minutes I sat up grabbed my head & said "OW" and rolled onto my other side. Confirmation for me, but my doc wasn't impressed. He sent me to physical therapy for more stretching.
I also carry my stress in my shoulders/neck. I think it's nerve/spinal related or maybe deviated septum?
Funny about the post above - I am about to switch my down pillow for a Therapeudic for a couple nights. Or duct tape myself down on my left side.

My husband is also going through this. Headaches that will wake him up after about an hour. The h/a's seem to spread out to his ear and jaw. He's had and MRA, MRI, CT Scan, and blood workup. Everything is coming back clean. He's never suffered from headaches before and he's 52. Does anyone have any idea what this is or what's causing it? Anything you could offer would be appreciated.

I am new here today. I started having bad headaches in early April of this year and they are intense at night with similar symptom that are in the above quote. Like the above quote, I wake up after about an hours sleep and it is a maddening pain. Sometimes I get into a warm tub and keep holding warm cloths on different parts of my head and throat. Some nights the throat seems like I have been poisoned and I have a metallic smell in my nose and a similar metallic taste in my mouth. The night explosions seem to be getting worse. I am near panic stage when the pain is so severe. I am somewhat ok during the day after I am up for a while but still have a mild headache through the day.

Before this happened I rarely ever got a headache and have been in very good health. I am 75 years old so health wise I have been very fortunate.

At first my doctor thought it was a sinus infection and prescribed an antibiotic which didn't help. It just kept getting worse. He told me to take Ibuprofen which helps during the day but the headache comes back after it wears off. I have never had the intense pain except after about an hour of sleep, even during a sitting up nap in my big chair.

On May 9th I had a CT scan and it was clear -- no problems showed up. After that the doctor just told me to take Ibuprofen. When I plead for some help this morning he ordered Nabumetone 500mg to be taken one time a day at supper time. I'm afraid to take it after looking at the precautions.

The doctor also ordered a sleep test which will be on May 29th and a consultation with a neurologist on June 27th.

I have heard a lot about palliative care for dying people but I'm sure not getting any pain killer that will stop these horrible night attacks. Last night my brain felt like it was on fire. I almost went to the ER.

Ask your doctor for a script for Amitriptyline, take 25mg at night for 2 nights, then 50mg at night. Also, take 2 Aleave before going to bed.

Imitrex Nasal Spray might be worth a try when you wake with the severe headache, and as a last resort, Stadol Nasal Spray (a rapid acting narcotic) could help.

Thanks Aussiejono for some tips. It is comforting to see how people far apart can be concerned for each other.

Before finding the health message board recently, I didn't realize that people were suffering like this often without known cause or any way for relief.

The new drug that was prescribed -- Nabumetone 500mg -- worked to stop the headache while I was still up but gradually through the night I woke up from time to time with increasing headache. By 3am it was very painful but not quite as crazy-bad like before. But since I could not take anything I had to endure it alone. The Dr. told me not to take anything in addition to that one pill a day. So I had one miserable night but at least I didn't have the very intense spell. I got up at 3 and sat in my easy chair for the rest of the night -- dozing in and out of sleep with a bad headache. It eased up when I got up but I still a dull headache and low painful jaws and throat.

I didn't call the doctor today. I don't know whether I will try that drug again. Very soon after taking it, my head felt like it had been over inflated, odd pressure without pain.

It is quite safe to take Tylenol witn Nabumetone, or one of the other acetaminophen based analgesics (Percogesic, Excedrin Tension Headache)

I would certainly ask about amitriptyline, it is dirt cheap, and can sometimes work a miracly for headaches.