Waking up with headache

pinkpixies

could be sleep apnea...do you know if you snore?

bethsheba

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.

Bethsheba

painaway

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!

Dark Stranger

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).

bethsheba

Based on this comment alone, it is apparent you lack some basic info regarding apnea and about sleep.

Bethsheba

bethsheba

painaway,

My understanding of these hypnic headaches is that they occur at the same times during the course night (unlike the headaches experienced by those with sleep apnea who get them when waking in the am) and that, for diagnosis, 15 headaches must occur within a month's time.

Has that been your experience?

Bethsheba

Leocat

Thanks everyone for you replies.

I apparently do snore (according to my other half who snores so loadly himself so I dont know how he hears me!) and I also fidget a massive amount so yes I probably do have disturbed sleep.

I am quite stressed at the moment as I am job hunting and worried about that so maybe its stressed related! I was ok this morning. Sometimes I dont actually have the headache upon waking it comes on about half an hour later!