the last couple of days I and on many other occasions I wake up with a bad headache, I have slept the whole night through so it cant be cause of disturbed sleep!
I dont want to keep taking pain killers all the time. It doesnt happen every day I just wondered if anyone knew what caused this
the last couple of days I and on many other occasions I wake up with a bad headache, I have slept the whole night through so it cant be cause of disturbed sleep!...
Yes, it could be because of disturbed sleep. People who have sleep disorders often wake with headaches thinking they slept through the night when in fact, sleep studies reveal they have not. Although I "slept through the night", a sleep study revealed that I woke up 90 times during the course of the night...it's just that I didn't remember doing so.
There is alot of info on the sleep disorders board. You might want to read more.
Leo...If you don't mind me asking, are you young or middle-aged or 'getting older'? The reason I ask this is, there is a thing called "hypnic headaches", and your symptoms are on the mark! They usually affect people over 65, but not always. It's nothing serious, but it needs to be controlled with daily maintanence meds. Sometimes they control the heacaches with Lithium, other times with Neurontin or even antihistamines! Praying for you!
I am experiencing the same thing, and it's due either to a staph infection or a sinus infection in my case. Why I get them first thing in the morning eludes me (mine also do not occur daily - sometimes I have them upon waking and sometimes I do not, but mine fade as the morning/afternoon progresses). And I know for a fact this is not apnea in my case because I didn't sleep a darn wink last night - I think I passed out about 20 minutes before my alarm went off and I felt like I'd been bludgeoned in the face with a meat mallet upon waking.
Where on your head are you feeling the pain? And do these headaches respond to painkillers? I gather from your initial post that you have taken painkillers to try and fight off the pain, but that you just don't want to take them constantly (which is understandable - I haven't taken painkillers for about 5 years no matter how bad my head hurts).
The reason I ask this is, there is a thing called "hypnic headaches", and your symptoms are on the mark! They usually affect people over 65, but not always. It's nothing serious, but it needs to be controlled with daily maintanence meds. Sometimes they control the heacaches with 
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