If you suffer from insomnia, do you experience headaches? If your answer is yes, that’s not surprising as a lack of sleep and other sleep problems can both cause and worsen headaches.
Health professionals are aware that patients who are sleep-deprived, as well as those who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, can be affected. Some of the types of headaches experienced by insomniacs are tension headaches or migraine headaches.
Migraine Headaches and REM Sleep
Migraine headaches usually affect only one side of the head. They occur when hyperactive nerve cells start sending out impulses, which leads to the constriction of expanding blood vessels.
This is usually accompanied by the production of inflammatory substances and other brain chemicals, which makes the pulsations more painful.
These brain chemicals are thought to be the reason for being awakened from REM sleep and in turn, causing a migraine headache. During the night we have between four to six REM periods of sleep.
The triggered migraine causes disruptions to sleep, even though the patient often would love to be able to ‘sleep it off’!
Insomnia and Headaches are Interrelated
Research reveals that people who have insomnia are more likely to develop migraine headaches than those people who sleep well every night. On the other hand, those who have migraines are also at a high risk of having insomnia problems.
Sufferers report that migraine interferes with sleep, but also that interrupted sleep due to insomnia can trigger migraines. Often stress and lifestyle factors play a role in both conditions, so it can be difficult or impossible to determine which is the cause and which is the symptom.
Headaches and insomnia certainly impact a person’s quality of life. The combination of these two conditions usually leads to more headaches. When extreme, these two conditions can also cause increased behavioral and mental problems.
Healthy Sleep Habits Can Help Reduce Headache Intensity and Frequency
A study published in the journal Headache provided solid evidence that healthy sleep habits can lead to the reduction of headache pain intensity, and also frequency.
The participants were migraine sufferers and they were divided into two groups. The first group received placebo instructions while the other group had behavioral sleep instructions.
At the end of the study, the participants who received behavioral sleep instructions were the ones who were able to experience a significant reduction in the intensity and frequency of their migraine headaches.
Headaches or Insomnia? Which One Is Causing The Other?
It’s almost like the chicken and the egg. Which one comes first? A person may certainly experience the symptoms of migraine due to insomnia or other sleep problems. Alternatively, a person can become an insomniac due to migraine headaches.
However, it is also possible that migraine headaches are caused by another medical problem, which in turn can make any insomnia condition worse.
Sleeping A Headache Off During The Day
Another study, which was conducted at the Rush University Medical Center, also revealed that insomnia is a common complaint among headache sufferers. The results revealed that the majority of participants who had tension-type headaches rated sleep as their most effective pain reliever. Some of them confirmed taking a nap during the day to be able to cope with the pain.
However, the doctor leading the study, Jason C. Ong, Ph.D. also discovered that while taking a nap can be helpful in relieving the pain, it may also contribute to insomnia and difficulty getting enough sleep at night. According to Dr. Ong, napping can decrease the brain’s ability to maintain and initiate sleep at night.
Whether headaches are causing your sleep problems, or insomnia is the cause of your headaches, take the time to determine what factors in your life may be contributing to both, and take steps to reduce them. Also, don’t be too slow in to consult your physician to find out exactly what’s the cause.
Sleepalox is a great addition to your diet to help give you quality sleep.
