1. It's All About Tension
Morning headaches, or tension headaches, begin as soon as you wake up. They can last a little as a few minutes or continue throughout the day. Morning headaches come as a result of improper sleep positions, insomnia or even the wrong kind of pillow. Stress can also produce a morning tension headache. Morning tension headache sufferers feel pain on both sides of the head, and especially in the scalp area and temples. Morning headaches feel worse with exposure to bright light.
2. Pick a Proper Pillow
For many morning headache sufferers the pillow is the culprit. Pillows condense over time and the sleep surface no longer support the neck the right way. This produces tension in the neck and shoulders and results in a morning tension headache. If you experience chronic morning headaches, take a good look at your pillow. If it's really old, squashed or too hard, think about replacing it with a pillow designed for proper head and neck position. A few nights on the right kind of pillow may be just what the sand man ordered.
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes
If morning headaches aren't a regular thing for you, your body may be trying to signal the onset of a cold or flu. During cold and flu season, several symptoms occur before a full blown case puts you in bed. A morning headache is a good indicator that an oncoming cold, flu or upper repository infection is causing uncomfortable sinus pressure.
4. Go Sideways
It isn't just the wrong pillow that can cause neck and shoulder tension and result in a morning headache. Awkward sleep positions create pressure points all over the body. This brings tension to neck, shoulders and the jaw, resulting in the morning tension headache. The healthiest sleep position is on the side with a pillow tucked between the knees. This relieves lower back pain, leg pain and promotes better neck position. Stomach sleepers often suffer from morning headaches because of the unnatural turn of neck for a prolonged period. Back sleepers suffer morning headaches due to excessive snoring or sleep apnea, preventing a restful night's sleep.
5. Try Decaf
Too much caffeine on a daily basis can cause morning headaches. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system producing a restless night's sleep. This could lead to morning headaches. Also, the human body experiences chemical changes while at rest, and may be going through a caffeine withdrawal during the nighttime hours producing what coffee drinkers call a caffeine headache. Caffeine is also a diuretic and causes the body lose fluids. This results in slight dehydration which can trigger a morning headache.
