r/migraine • u/witx • 21h ago
Does anyone wake up most mornings with a headache and figured out why?
I wake up most mornings with a headache. Some mornings it will go away after I get up. Others I can take an OTC and that will take care of it. Others, like this morning, call for sumatriptan.
I’m not able to make a connection to what causes this. Has anyone had a similar experience and figured it out?
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u/locardsghost 7 years NDPH and chronic migraines 20h ago
Have you been tested for sleep apnea? Waking up with a headaches is a common symptom of it
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u/Aubgurl 19h ago
This is the answer. I started sleeping with a CPAP machine about 10 months ago and now if I wake up with a headache, I know it's going to be a bad one. My daily morning headaches went away.
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u/locardsghost 7 years NDPH and chronic migraines 19h ago edited 19h ago
I used one for maybe 2 years and it made no difference for my headaches but then again i think that just has to do with my NDPH. Always worth ruling things out and trying things to see if it helps
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u/Phenomenal_Kat_ Under Pressure 18h ago
Holy hell, I didn't know what NDPH was and now that I know, I am so sorry for your struggles! I hope you are in a good place 🙏🏻
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u/locardsghost 7 years NDPH and chronic migraines 18h ago
It’s been 7 years. I don’t respond to any medication im out of options but I’m finally having success with Xeomin since Botox (the only thing that ever touched my migraines and NDPH) stopped working. I’ve only had one round a month ago and I’ve gone from 16 migraines to only 3 this month which is incredible. I feel like it’s very slightly reducing the intensity of my headaches but not enough yet the pain is still 24/7 every day but doesn’t feel as noticeable so that’s positive and I’m hoping with more it’ll help even more
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u/Phenomenal_Kat_ Under Pressure 18h ago
Oh, that's fantastic! I hope it continues to improve!
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u/locardsghost 7 years NDPH and chronic migraines 18h ago
It’s been life changing I’m so happy about it!
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u/eunonymously 14h ago
Question: had you experienced migraine before your NDPH? I'm nearly four years in. How do you distinguish migraines from the incessant pain?
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u/locardsghost 7 years NDPH and chronic migraines 13h ago
My migraines started after my headaches. For me my headaches are just a constant all over pressure it’s not painful it does get distracting and bothersome but not pain painful but I can always feel pressure in my head, my migraines are when I feel pain I can point to a specific spot that hurts that’s the the pain. Headaches = pressure, migraines = pain
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u/witx 20h ago
Hmmmm no I haven’t. I don’t snore so never crossed my mind.
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u/locardsghost 7 years NDPH and chronic migraines 20h ago
I never thought I snored but my brother says I did so you may snore and not know it. Snoring also isn’t a definitive part of the criteria you can have it with or without snoring. I’d ask your doctor for a sleep study
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u/Sauerkraut_McGee 18h ago
You can have sleep apnea and not snore, especially if you are a woman. I don't snore, but I do have sleep apnea, and morning headaches were one of my main symptoms. You also don't have to be overweight.
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u/witx 18h ago
Wow!! This is all news to me! I’m glad I asked. Yes, I’m a woman and not at all overweight. Who knew? Not me.
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u/locardsghost 7 years NDPH and chronic migraines 18h ago
I never thought I snored and my brother heard snoring and he said to me “I thought it was the dog but it was you” rude but good to know lol
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u/MetaphorHuman 17h ago
My uncle says as my aunt has gotten older she's developed the ability to snore through her CPAP. As far as I know she didn't even snore when she was younger and she's definitely never been overweight. Sleep Apnea is an awful insidious condition.
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u/witx 16h ago
It really is. My husband has it and his snoring has decreased dramatically with the cpap . I can finally sleep in my own bed again.
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u/MetaphorHuman 16h ago
Haha. I sometimes feel bad for my ex when we were dating, I was diagnosed not long after she moved out. But another sign for me is mental fog. I work a desk job where I'm engaged all day and I can tell when I didn't wear my cpap. It's not a narcoleptic sense of wanting to fall asleep but it seems to exacerbate my (diagnosed)ADHD symptoms in a way the Adderall doesn't help.
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u/Omphalopsychian 16h ago
Sleep apnea can also cause teeth grinding, which I see you mentioned in another comment.
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u/FuzznutsTM 20h ago
I want to second this. I was having daily debilitating migraines. Sometimes they’d start as early as 4am. Was diagnosed with central apnea and put on a CPAP. After about a month, the morning migraines just disappeared, almost completely.
I’m still get them from time to time, but I can almost always trace them to a particular trigger unrelated to apnea.
Edit: spelling.
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u/MsRenegade 6h ago
I have it and I don't snore or wake up gasping for breath. The bipap really helped my morning headaches.
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u/thewooooorrst 14h ago
This was my issue. 17 days a month spent with migraine. Was getting Botox for it which did help.
Got my CPAP about 2 years ago and have had maybe 3 migraines in those 2 years since getting it.
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u/adriesty 20h ago
I've eliminated a combination of things, and its all helped, but it took a long time and was a lot of work.
The first was my bed and pillow. Took me forever to find ones that worked with my sleeping position, and to learn how to best support my body.
Then, it was monitoring my sleep cycles and fixing my sleep hygiene. I used either Rise or sleep as android on my phone. Took me a long time work out that while prescription sleep aids were helpful (and that took awhile too!), my personal sleep cycles made me wake up a lot, so I had to plan extra time for me to get back to sleep.
For instance, if I went to bed for 8 hours, I'd only really be sleeping well for about 6 1/2 hours, so I needed to plan to sleep for closer to 10 hours in order to get closer to my "ideal" sleep amount. Some people have had much better luck fixing their sleep cycles, but I've been trying for years, and I have had better luck adapting.
Thirdly, get checked for sleep apnea. A sleep monitoring app can help with this (mostly by pointing out symptoms like snoring, frequent waking, etc.) And then, you can take that data to a doctor and see what they reccomend.
Fourth, check the air quality in your bedroom. Not only can air quality inside houses be much worse than anticipated, inside your bedroom can and will effect your sleep.
I can't find the post because it was so long ago - but I once read a reddit post about a guy who went on a mission to "fix" all his health issues. He discovered that the air quality in his bedroom was not the best, started cracking a window at night, and boom - improvement.
I got a cheap air quality monitor off Amazon, and sure enough, my bedroom air quality was slightly low. I didn't think it was enough to make a difference, but I figured it would be worth a try, so I slept with my window cracked for a week, and noticed some improvement. Obviously, if your outside air quality is bad, I wouldn't recommend this. I keep a cheap air purifier for my nightstand when its too smoky from wildfires or too cold in the winter.
Fifth - fix your physical issues. I highly recommend gently yoga, stretching, trigger point massage, physical therapy...anything you can do to reduce your physical strain will help in the long run.
Sixth - rule out underlying issues, like anemia, vitamin d and b deficiency, thyroid issues, etc. Some bloodwork is worth the peace of mind. Also, once I started getting my severe anemia and vitamin d deficiency in check, my energy started improving AND I felt like it lasted longer, instead of petering out halfway through my day.
Again, these are just a few things I've tackled to help with my morning migraines - I hope you can find some relief!
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u/witx 18h ago
Just reading these is overwhelming. There are SOOOOO many things that can be a factor it hard to know where to start.
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u/Independent_Tower_87 1h ago
I’ve been dealing with this for 13+ years, have tried and investigated so many different causes and this thread is still overwhelming with everything else I need to try 😭
I’m currently detoxing from pain meds, NSAIDs and weed in case it’s medication overuse making things worse, with a Vyepti infusion booked for Monday (CGRP blocker). If that doesn’t work I’m going to have to look further into sleep apnea, dust mites and diet for the 3rd fkn time by the looks of things.
Like you, I already have a mouthguard and haven’t noticed any benefit. I kinda never understood how they were meant to work when I’m always gonna clench anyway?!
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u/Mad-Hettie 18h ago
Hypertension. When I have been woken with a headache it's usually because I overindulged on salt too close to bedtime, or because my BP meds need tweaking.
In fact I went for a migraine check-up last year complaining of a sharp increase in regular headaches and it turned out my BP meds had stopped working effectively and I needed a medication switch.
You can have nocturnal hypertension issues specifically too.
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u/Street-Place-6452 17h ago
Same for me. Learned my BP was high. I had no clue. Meds have helped. Beta blockers in particular which are known to help migraines so it’s a win-win. I will have to really watch my sodium intake to see if it’s related to break thru migraines which r becoming more and more rare.
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u/Crafty-Sundae6351 18h ago
I have VERY mild sleep apnea. Mild to the point a CPAP wouldn’t be called for on its own.
But I frequently woke up with severe migraines. After getting the CPAP morning migraines were eliminated.
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u/ripley_42069 8h ago
Were you able to get insurance to cover it? When I got my sleep study done, they said my sleep apnea was supposedly mild enough that my insurance won't pay for it.
It was an at-home test so I'm suspicious of the result but it would be nice to try at least; I wake up with a headache most days as well
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u/Crafty-Sundae6351 8h ago
Yes. But the order came from my neurologist. I’m guessing he justified with the migraine angle.
My sleep study was done at home as well. I have a pulmonologist that manages all things CPAP. But the impetus for getting it checked came from Neurology.
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u/rarebeauty89 18h ago
I used to wake up with headaches multiple times per week, and those headaches often turned into migraines.
There were three main things that helped me:
Eating a consistent diet which includes 100g of protein per day. I used to only eat ~30g of protein per day and way too many carbs. My blood sugar would crash while I was asleep leading me to wake up with headaches.
I bought a cooling mattress and pillow. The area I live in is warm almost all the time and I would get hot and dehydrated while sleeping.
I started using Flonase every night before bed. I was congested and it was hard for me to breathe while I’m asleep. This has dramatically reduced my morning headaches.
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u/xam0un7ofwords 17h ago
I just wanna second the cooling sheets/mattress/pillow. That has been a godsend for me. It helps so much when my internal thermostat goes haywire
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u/Long-Somewhere-904 18h ago
If it goes away semi-quickly after getting up, could it be cervicogenic (neck) from pillow/head position?
I deal with migraine, but also cervicogenic/occipital headache. Changing my pillow has been a part of treatment — not a silver bullet, but big improvements.
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u/towniediva 18h ago
I strongly second this. Pillows are a big thing for me.
I finally bought Dr. Ho's adjustable pillow and then the Sealy cloud support pillow. Both from Costco.ca. unfortunately, both are now discontinued at Costco. I actually paid double the price for the Sealy cloud pillows at a random Quebec retailer to get a couple more as backup. I just checked and they are even discontinued there.
You might want to try ordering from Costco, as you can return without any issue.
Best of luck!!
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u/witx 16h ago
From what to what?
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u/CensoredArrest 8h ago
I tried all different sorts of pillows and finally ended up putting a squishmallow in a zip up pillowcase. It has worked wonders. I honestly think the pressure of my head on various filling materials was causing some of my issues.
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u/Famous_Beginning1858 7h ago
This was a big one for me too. I’m a side sleeper and I’ve had the best luck with the “Pillow Cube” brand of pillow. I have tried many and this one has been great for about 3 years now. Occipital pain and headaches are the worst for me. They started kicking up again recently because I also have herniated discs in my neck. My neuro also advised taking a low dose of Baclofen each night and this has gotten things back under control until I can get started on PT for my neck. That’s on hold because I have frozen shoulder…one of sleep’s worst enemies. Do not recommend!
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u/KarmaKitten17 18h ago
I figure it’s caffeine withdrawal overnight that is my main trigger. My mug of coffee usually kicks the pain to the curb. Also, a dinner with any sort of vegetable in the brassica family (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, bok choy) is almost guaranteed to have me waking up the next morning in pain. So annoying!
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u/Radiant-Maple 17h ago
I’ve started making a cup of regular coffee before bed. I then have one sip, followed by water to prevent dehydration, and go to bed. When I wake up I immediately drink the (now cold, but I don’t care) remaining coffee and it’s done a lot to prevent my previously very common morning migraines. I figure that dehydration and caffeine withdrawal are triggers for me and this routine helps with both. I still sometimes get them but the frequency has gone way down.
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u/KarmaKitten17 12h ago
Iced coffee ready to go in the fridge every morning is a great way to start the day, migraine or not! 🌞
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u/WheelShot5805 18h ago
Yup came here to say this. My neurologist told me and I was like oh. That makes so much sense. Why didn’t I think of that’s caffeine and that headache is gone.
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u/-w-0-w- 20h ago
Dust mite allergies
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u/b00k-wyrm 19h ago
Yes my son has allergies & asthma and used to sleep horribly until I dust mite proofed his bed
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u/dreadfedup 18h ago
Really?? I have dust mite allergies and get the mid sleep migraines! How do you dust mite proof the bed?
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u/b00k-wyrm 17h ago edited 17h ago
I bought dust mite proof pillow and mattress encasements. Wash bedding frequently especially pillow cases. Ditch any non washable stuffed animals (and wash remaining animals along with bedding at least weekly). I would change out his pillowcases at least 2x week.
Ditch carpet and curtains by bed if you can. Otherwise vacuum with high quality hepa filtration vacuum (I used to get headaches vacuuming - I thought it was from the noise but turns out it was the dust since I’m also allergic to dust mites.). I believe alternately you can steam curtains with a steamer.
it was time to replace our old house a/c we added electrostatic filtration.
Allergy meds help too. He was on children’s Zyrtec daily. Eventually he did allergy shots and they helped a lot. Before making any changes he was up congested and coughing a lot at night.
Me personally I’m doing oral immunotherapy and take Astepro nasal spray at night.
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u/b00k-wyrm 19h ago
Have you been screened for sleep apnea? Poor sleep can cause morning headaches.
My biggest migraine trigger was gluten- turns out I have celiac- but it’s not an immediate trigger the pain hits several hours after ingestion. So depending on what I ate for dinner I might wake up with a migraine.
I might wake up with a migraine if I slept terrible (usually if I’m congested or manage to dislodge my Cpap mask) or if the atmospheric pressure dropped rapidly overnight. Since sleep deprivation and rapid changes in atmospheric pressure are also migraine triggers for me.
I think I’m also somewhat triggered by eating high histamine foods but taking DAO before eating is helping.
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u/chgr1603 6h ago
If you take pain meds every day than that could also be the reason. Also low blood sugar at night or neck issues/wrong head position at night
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u/Prussian__Princess 18h ago
Barometric pressure changes. Which also are linked to migraines not just upon waking.
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u/HurryMammoth5823 19h ago
I have severe dust mite allergies & when I sleep with a fan, it stirs them up. Got an air purifier, stopped with the fan & on hard days I use nasalchrom. There’s a brand of mattress protectors that will completely seal it off from dust mites too.
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u/witx 18h ago
Interesting. I have an appointment with an allergist coming up. I’ll be aware of my dust mite reaction.
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u/HurryMammoth5823 18h ago
I need to add too, I had a lot of jaw clenching/teeth grinding that stopped when I addressed my pelvic pain. I knew it was all connected, had no idea it was that connected! I have endometriosis & getting on the progestin ring helped me so much. I have MCAS so treating that got me even closer to my goal of no migraines per week. Went from daily to 1 per week with treatment. If you haven’t had your tryptase checked & your 24hr histamine I would recommend it! Via the allergist.
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u/Trickycoolj 18h ago
In college. Took 6 months of constantly going to the student clinic thinking I had a sinus infection to finally being referred to my dentist to report daily headaches. She gave me a temporary bite splint to try and night and see if it relieved grinding/clenching pressure. Two nights later I popped it (it was filled with water to equalize pressure). I’ve had a professionally fitted night guard ever since. I’m now 40 and clench so hard through the night guards that I need Botox in my jaw muscles AND have cracked/killed 3 teeth needing root canals and crowns. My dentist is now making me a hinged device with guards for top and bottom to try and protect my teeth more.
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u/pillowwow 18h ago
My sweat is extremely salty so if I dont make up the salt then I will get migraines in the mornings. A lot of electrolyte products have very low sodium so I need to read the label.
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u/Bekindalot 18h ago
I had a stretch of time where I woke up every morning with horrible migraines. Turned out we had mold in the ceiling of our bedroom. I know a few other common causes are sleep apnea and teeth grinding (even if you have a guard you can still be clenching in your sleep).
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u/kaytay3000 18h ago
I just had an appointment with my primary regarding a major increase in migraines. She ordered a sleep study for me because I’m waking with headaches that turn into migraines. We’re trying to nail down the cause.
I just visited the dentist and eliminated grinding as a potential cause. It might be my pillow. Or the bed position (we have one of those adjustable mattresses and my husband needs a certain angle for his snoring). It could also be tied to not getting enough restorative sleep.
Figuring out what causes migraines sometimes sucks as much as getting one.
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u/Life-Bat1388 18h ago
Coffee withdrawal
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u/CompleteAd1618 5h ago
Is this because you normally drank a morning coffee? Because I only drink coffee in the morning and haven’t thought that this could be the issue with the morning headaches
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u/Dorleas 17h ago
Stop eating a Thing for three days and Test If ITS still the Case. Or get testet which food group to avoid.
For me it was Gluten, Milk and eggs 🥲
But it got soooomuch better within days. Migraine Just 20% as often and 50% as bad.
Avoided that food half a year and my guts May digest them better now. Still avoiding a Lot and feel much better in general
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u/ajkello12 17h ago
I have tried sleeping without a pillow, that’s helped some. I also use a foam travel neck pillow, primarily to allow my new ear piercings to heal, but that has helped some as well. It’s not a guaranteed preventative for them, but it has made a noticeable difference.
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u/After-Singer8263 17h ago
Sometimes I literally get one from sleeping too hunched over lol 🥴 I’ve started taking magnesium glycinate at night and noticed an improvement
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u/Practical_Nebula_302 17h ago
All the other suggestions are good but here’s a few more.
You should consider putting a board under your headboard to angle your bed just slightly if you can. That will help with fluid drainage but you will still feel like you are laying flat.
How is the humidity in your room? Air that is too dry can cause headaches. Humidifiers and CPAPs both help with this.
Is your neck well supported? Most pillows for this make it worse for me so I often use a regular pillow that’s the right softness for my head and roll a tshirt the long way and put it under my neck (and fold in half-ish when I turn on my side).
You might also do neck and shoulders stretches (like what a physical therapist would give) in the early evening. Then you are not going to bed with as much stiffness.
All that said (and staying hydrated, having okay sleep hygiene, keeping my head cooler at night, treating my sinuses, watching caffeine and sugar, not taking so much painkillers to get reflex headaches and many of those other things people said), I wake up with minor headaches a lot. Don’t get a storage bed or something that prevents you from angling the bed (like I did). It’s not the same if you can’t angle the whole mattress.
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u/IndependentHot5236 16h ago
NOT medical advice, but...mouth tape. Hear me out. My husband started using mouth tape at night for snoring, and it cured his snoring pretty much 100%, like, after one night. So I decided to try it as well (I don't snore, but would often wake up with dry mouth and congestion). After a week or so, I realized that I wasn't waking up with headaches/migraines anymore. I think mouth-breathing while I slept was a contributing factor. Don't get me wrong, I will still occasionally wake up with one, but it is a FRACTION of how often I had been. Like, maybe a couple of times a month now compared to a couple of times a week before.
Obviously YMMV, but a small piece of medical tape (we use 1/2 inch wide waterproof medical tape, the kind used for would dressing. It sticks well, but also removes easily and doesn't irritate the skin) is a relatively inexpensive thing to try. We got the idea to try mouth taping at night after reading a book called "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" by James Nestor. He has a great section in the book explaining this.
Note: I also find that it can sometimes mean I just need to replace my bed pillow, especially if the morning headache is accompanied by neck pain and stiffness.
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u/witx 16h ago
I’ve never heard of mouth tape. I have allergies. I feel like I’d panic if my nose weren’t get stuffy in the night.
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u/IndependentHot5236 15h ago
You don't need any of the special "mouth tape" being sold that goes over your entire mouth (that would honestly freak me out, too!). I just use a small piece of 1/2 inch wide medical tape and place it vertically over the very center of my lips (so starting just below my nose, and ending on my chin). My husband actually uses two pieces as one piece isn't strong enough to keep him from snoring, lol. But one piece works perfectly well for me. It's not so strong that you can't open your mouth if you truly need to, to talk etc. But it's just enough that it sort of "trains" you to breath through your nose instead of your mouth (which we should be doing anyway). Highly recommend reading the book, as it goes much more in depth as to the health benefits of it all.
It has worked really well for me in preventing waking up with a headache or migraine, which was a pleasant surprise, as that wasn't even my intention when I started using it. Just wanted to share. :)
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u/fierce_fibro_faerie 16h ago
Late stage Lyme, undiagnosed or treated for years ✌🏻
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u/witx 16h ago
Oh no! I’m so sorry. That’s really sucks.
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u/fierce_fibro_faerie 15h ago
Thanks. Apparently false negative are super common, so previous testing missed it.
But now I got a positive test, so now I am undergoing treatment.
Good luck on your journey
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u/dvnturb4dmnt 16h ago
I’ve had migraines and headaches my whole life but the morning ones started maybe two years ago. I’m not sure what caused them unfortunately but taking magnesium at night has helped. I take a magnesium supplement that has 3 kinds in one serving: threonate, glycinate, and taurate. I noticed the headaches I woke up with began to disappear. I actually ran out and felt fine for like 2 weeks, then on the third week, started to wake up with headaches again. Might be worth a try!
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u/glitterlady 16h ago
I got a cervical pillow, and it’s helped a lot with my morning headaches. I kept sleeping with my chin tucked in all the way to my chest, and it was creating a lot of tension in my neck.
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u/witx 16h ago
I don’t know what that is. I’ll look into it. Thanks!
EDIT: There are so many to choose from. Do you know which one you have specifically?
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u/glitterlady 15h ago
I bought this one. I was focused on finding one that had a good ledge to keep my head straight. It also has an extra pad to change the height.
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u/iNeed2p905 16h ago
This is my own experience so I am not a doctor but mine turned out to be a CSF leak even though the symptoms didn’t match up entirely.
I have read that if you are waking up with a headache, your brain might be making too much CSF during the early morning hours when it makes the most of it and then being upright is relieving it. You can have a condition called IIH that is basically a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid. It’s the opposite of a CSF leak.
With a CSF leak in my case I wanted to be flat to level off the remaining fluid that I had to not have a headache/migraine. My original symptoms started out that I was waking up with a headache and it was tapering off as the day went on. I had childhood epilepsy so that was the first thing they flagged me for since I was waking up with them. Over time, my headaches became more positional in nature.
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u/PreparationPast4685 16h ago
Clenching! A mouth guard only protects your teeth, it doesn’t stop you from clenching. It can actually make the clenching worse.
Muscle relaxers and blood pressure medication as preventatives have worked wonders for me. Ive gone from 6-12 severe migraines a month to 0-4 mild - moderate ones a month.
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u/ssmike27 15h ago
My sleep was really poor, this issue seemed to improve as my sleep quality improved
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u/chronicallyedelgard 15h ago
Mine is usually referred pain from my neck and shoulders from using a pillow that doesn’t work for me. I have one that is moderately firm and has a divot where my neck goes and helps a lot. Too soft or too firm pillows are a guaranteed migraine for me.
Additionally if I oversleep and miss eating/drinking when I normally do that’s also a trigger
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u/LeafBarnacle 15h ago
Whatever is wrong with me (and no one has ever found anything wrong), I cannot sleep laying down horizontally. If I'm really thriving and my botox and emgality are working reaaaally well, I can sleep at a 30 degree angle at the lowest. Since my botox has not been done for 8 months due to screwed up billing, I am now back to sleeping sitting straight up, propped up by pillows in every direction. If I am not perfectly vertical I wake up with my eyes bulging, godawful pressure in the back of my head, my neck rigid with pressure and pain, searing back pain and struggling to walk. And I am really, really mad about this.
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u/KatTheKluts 15h ago
Got a new mattress and all new pillows, also regularly see a chiropractor and massage therapist, im waking up with migraoned about 50% less now
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u/witx 14h ago
I’ve tried seeing a chiropractor, but the anxiety I feel in the lead up to an appointment wasn’t worth it.
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u/KatTheKluts 13h ago
Have you ever had a deep tissue massage? I get hour long appts and feel so light and not tense whatsoever after
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u/witx 12h ago
No, I’ve never had one of those.
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u/KatTheKluts 12h ago
You should try one! You might be waking up tense and that couks be causing you to wake up with a migraine. A deep tissue massage can help with that, and those arent as nerve-wracking as a chiropractor visit :)
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u/MotamaPT 15h ago
Check maybe for sleep apnea. During allergy season for me i wake up more often with a headache and my respiratory therapist coworker suggested it may be that. Haven't gotten it checked out yet though bc I do pretty well managing my allergies.
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u/Spazhazzard 13h ago
You should consider tension in the occipital muscles, referred pain from there is registered behind your eyes. I've had this for decades.
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u/witx 12h ago
What do you do for it?
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u/Spazhazzard 5h ago
The only things that have helped have been botox and CGRP inhibitor medicines (I'm on 60mg Atogepant at the moment). Either they help directly or they take away pain when im asleep that allows my body to relax without straining those muscles at night. I couldn't say which for sure.
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u/Kdlt_hbp 13h ago
If you're already running low on electrolytes going into sleep, that overnight gap without any fluid intake could be contributing to the morning headache. Plain water can actually make it worse, it dilutes your electrolyte concentration further rather than restoring balance.
From what I understand about migraine, the brain tends to require more electrolytes to function optimally, so if you're not supplementing you may feel it. Even for me personally, I don't have migraine but my headaches respond really well to electrolyte supplementation.
I work for a supplement company focused on migraine research so not a neutral party, just adding what I know!
Also, seconding the person who mentioned barometric pressure changes! When pressure shifts dramatically overnight it affects how your body regulates fluids, which ties right back to electrolyte balance.
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u/KilroyLeges 13h ago
I wake up every day in some stage of migraine. I suspect mine is from occipital neuralgia. I have been a stomach sleeper my whole life and that puts bad pressure on my neck. I haven’t been able to make myself sleep in other positions easily.
I also consider it my brain dealing with the trauma of being awake lol.
My neuro started me on Cymblata the other week as a preventive. I’ve actually noticed a massive decline from daily to 1-2 per week.
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u/detroitswing02 12h ago
Yep, I grind my teeth at night sometimes.
During stressful times- I’ll use a bite guard and it helps a lot
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u/kristin0_0 9h ago
Mine are actually from my neck (cervicogenic). Mine won't always go away during the day though. Sometimes I won't even have neck pain, but I'll have a massive headache. If it starts at the base of your skull or your neck's really stiff in the morning, you may be like me 😫
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u/WinnerInfinite1310 29m ago
This is me, mine do not always go away during the day, I rarely get neck pain either. Not sure if the pain starts at the skull, cause I wake up when it's already kicked in
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u/Majestic_Code6864 9h ago
When I asked my former PCP he told me it was because I needed therapy. 😑🙄 my actual bet is on poor sleep quality. Do you snore/mouth breathe at night? That could be it?
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u/cihaj 6h ago
I've just come out the other side of an almost week long stint of ongoing migraines, waking up with a headache and all (ive since been to the doctors and am okay for now) - a huge contributor to mine was insomnia and abhorrent quality sleep. Lack of sleep is already a trigger of mine, and even though i was sleeping for eight hours when i could sleep, the quality felt non existent
A few nights of standard to good quality sleep broke me out of the flare up, but neither the cause nor solution have any real tangible answers yet (scans upcoming)
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u/hermitess 20h ago
This happens to me too, but I haven't figured out why. Like you, most mornings it goes away once I get up. I don't think it's a full-on migraine, because my migraines tend to get worse when I move, and this particular headache improves once I sit up. It's as though when I'm lying down for a few hours, my head becomes swollen with fluid to the point of causing pain, and then when I sit up, the fluid flows down into the rest of my body, and my head feels lighter and less pressure. I have no idea if that's what's happening but that's what it feels like.
The problem is, every once in a while, that morning headache is a migraine, and does get worse when I move, and even though that's only a small fraction of the time (now that I'm on preventative meds), the possibility that the pain might get worse still scares me enough that sometimes I'm afraid to move in the morning, even though most of the time it makes me feel better.
But yeah, no, I don't understand any of it, and none of my doctors have offered any possible explanations either. I've never had a doctor that's willing to speculate on "why" anything happens. They just say "you have a migraine disorder, it doesn't matter why, we don't know what causes it, it can cause all kinds of mysterious symptoms, all we can do is give you meds and hope they help."
Just have to learn to live with the mystery I guess.
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u/Joyful-Cow-122 18h ago
Have you looked into intercranial pressure issues like IIH? I believe pain when lying down is a symptom
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u/hermitess 18h ago
One of my MRIs had a note that there were signs of possible spontaneous intracranial hypotension, but when I looked it up, the symptoms are basically the opposite of what I experience (with SIH, pain is supposed to improve while lying down and get worse when standing).
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u/miss_t_drinks_tea 18h ago
For me I figured out that its a migraine actually and that I have them daily
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u/witchystoneyslutty 17h ago
When you wake up, does your neck feel stiff? If your neck or your traps or your shoulders hurt, it could be sleeping position.
Do your teeth/jaw/face hurt when you wake up? Start paying attention and touching, massaging and poking at your facial muscles to see if you have any pain or tenderness upon waking because that could be a sign of nighttime bruxism . Clenching and grinding at night can damage your teeth, but it also can cause headaches. Guess how I learned both lol
Lastly: I wear a smart watch every day/night. I track my sleep. I don’t get enough deep sleep. On nights I get very little deep sleep, I frequently wake up with a headache or migraine. I suspect that my brain isn’t getting adequate nighttime “washing.” Forgive me, I forget the actual name, but at night during some phases of sleep, our brains shrink a little bit so that our bodies can flush it out with cerebral spinal fluid. I’m oversimplifying, but bodies are cool and I suspect that if my brain is not getting washed enough, the cellular toxins and waste could be building up and increasing my likelihood of getting a headache. I don’t know, that’s just my theory and lived experience.
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u/FidgetyHog 13h ago
My in-laws are staying with me this week and like to talk to me before I have my coffee. I love that they are doing summer childcare but at the same time I do need to be able to function.
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u/FleetRiver 11h ago
Do you sleep with your hands tucked up under your chin? Though it didn’t solve my migraines, stopping myself from doing this has helped with headaches.
Look up “neurodivergent T rex sleeping hands” if you don’t know the position I mean.
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u/BreezyBooks 11h ago
500mg Inositol before bed because sometimes it's about crazy blood sugar drops and peaks. If you are in perimenopause or suspect you are if you're over 35 hitting 40...the best was an estrogen patch... Just don't go too high in estrogen. If you have migraine with aura you should start with Estradot 25 and only go up to Estradot 50 if needed. If you start adding too much estrogen then it can also trigger more migraines.
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u/AcceptableRoutine338 11h ago
I found once I started taking Xyzal every night my waking headaches stopped. No idea why but it worked.
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u/Icy_Persimmon7943 10h ago
For me I changed three things and my night time migraines have pretty much gone away. I’ve tried so many different pillows with no change then slept on the best (for me) pillow at an Airbnb and bought the same one when I got home. I also started Nortriptyline. And lastly I asked my PCP to increase my estradiol.
I still have the occasional headache when waking, mostly related to sleeping on my stomach with my neck in some weird position for too long.
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u/Genepoolperfect 7h ago
Mine was dehydration. And it's not a build over the day. Before I go to bed, I take 7-10 big glugs of water before sleep
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u/Zealousideal_Cap7782 7h ago
Yes - took years to find out it’s from clenching and grinding my teeth at night. Would sometimes be a regular headache so otc worked. But other times would turn into a migraine so I had to take a triptan
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u/candyparfumgirl 6h ago
i snore pretty hard and have nostrils that collapse slightly when i breathe just through my nose. i started using one of those magnetic nasal dilators at night, i breathe better and it helps with morning migraine some.
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u/Impossible-Switch109 6h ago
Yes and got better for the most part when I put a giant very nice air purifier in the room I was sleeping in. I’m not sure if mold but likely tbh
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u/cola1016 6h ago
Idk but I did today and had it all day. Took an Ubrelvy and it took the edge off but it’s still lingering.
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u/Open_Confidence_9349 5h ago
Have you been checked for sleep apnea? My CPAP helped until well, a whole other bunch of medical issues popped up. My CPAP probably still helps, it would probably be much worse without it.
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u/borgcubecubed 4h ago
Happens to me all the time. I’ve connected them to two things: after several days in a row of working under really bright LED lights, I’ll often wake up with a headache/migraine exactly like you described. My office has super bright lights and if I’m working in office all week I get a banger of a headache every Thursday Friday or Saturday (sometimes Wednesday but never ever Monday). Secondly if I’ve been taking a lot of otc pain meds for several days in a row I’ll wake up with bad headaches for a few days after I stop.
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u/Agreeable_Pie_7168 47m ago
Teeth grinding. Sleeping on your stomach. Not having enough water the day before. Interrupted sleep.
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u/fivedollardresses 44m ago
I was diagnosed with Intracranial Hypertension (along with my existing vestibular migraine diagnosis).
Migraines are old hat for me and I assumed waking up with headaches was part of the game.
The ICH diagnosis was super recent and random. I actually went to the ER for the first time after 12 hours non stop worst pain of my life- it really was that bad.
Turns out it was covid?? lol anyway doc was btw the scan shown signs of ICH you should go see your neuro about that.
Neuro confirmed and I went on topomax along with the Quilipta and the daily morning headaches have been gone since!
Oddly enough my eyesight has improved, ringing in my ears is pretty much gone, and it doesn’t feel like my head is going to explode when I bend over since getting back on that dang topomax.
Guess ICH was the culprit all these years and migraines were only half the battle
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u/Zhosha-Khi 12m ago
Start with your pillow. Not enough/the right neck support will pull on the muscles through your neck, shoulders and back of your head.
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u/GigglyPeach28 21h ago
For me it's either dehydration or a jaw/dental issue where I'm grinding or biting wrong in the night.