Nocturnal Headaches: What Are The Reasons?

If nocturnal headaches appear in the usual way, it is important to consult a specialist in order to perform the relevant tests to determine their origin.

A nighttime headache affects rest and the ability to get a good night’s sleep. And since you need these hours to wake up the next day with vigor and optimism, it is therefore important to know what may be the cause of this discomfort and how to treat it properly.

This discomfort is much more common than you might think. In fact, most people experience it at some point in their life. Although you often tend to confuse it with a common headache, nocturnal headache doesn’t manifest itself in exactly the same way.

Nocturnal headaches: 5 causes that can explain it

Sometimes you already go to bed with previous discomfort. Then the pain increased, reaching a greater intensity as and as the night ahead. Then you open your eyes and feel weakened, as if a heavy nebula is pressing on your head until you find yourself without strength.

In general, headaches can have several origins. However, the one that suddenly appears throughout the night interrupting sleep responds to certain factors.

1. The hypnic headache

Hypnic headache (related to sleep) is not well known. It must be said that it can appear at night and even while you are taking a nap.

• It usually occurs during REM sleep. It’s a mild but sharp pain that normally lasts between 15 minutes, an hour, and even two hours.
• The causes are not well known, but what is clear is that the pains always appear in this specific phase of the dream.

Therefore, it is believed that hypnic headache may be linked to a sudden decrease in melatonin, a hormone that promotes rest.

• Hypnic headache usually arises in many people over the age of 50.

2. Foods with inflammatory properties

This is another fact that you don’t always think about. There are certain foods which, consumed in excess, generate alterations in your body.

• It is common for many of these foods that you consume, which are high in MSG, to cause headaches in the middle of the night if you eat them in the evening.
• This synthetic additive, in addition to being unhealthy, is very addictive.
• It provides intense flavor to multiple products in your daily diet such as sauces, creams, bouillon cubes and many types of precooked foods.
• In addition, cheeses or other types of dairy products also have inflammatory properties and often lead to nighttime headaches.

All this forces you to control the quality of your dinners a little more by choosing the products you serve in that last meal of the day.

3. The sinus headache

Sinus headache is yet another headache associated with nighttime headaches.

• This type of headache, as the word suggests, is caused by sinusitis.
• The para-nasal sinus pain caused is very intense. There is a strong sensitivity which reaches, at the same time, the ears and the head.
• Very often people think that its origin, due to its intensity, is due to certain types of migraine or vascular-type headache.
• These headaches tend to intensify at night if the room environment is very dry. Therefore, purifiers are highly recommended.

4. The explosive head syndrome

This is just as curious as it is true. The explosive head syndrome was already mentioned at the end of the 19th century and, currently, we still do not know with certainty its origin.

This type of disorder falls into the category of so-called parasomnias, that is, sleep disorders.

It is a severe headache that appears just as the person is about to fall asleep. In general, women suffer from it more than men.

Some people only experience it once in their life. For others, however, it can take a few months. However, in all recorded cases, this problem usually goes away on its own.

The indications that specialists have so far indicate that it is linked to an injury to one of the ear bones. It can also be due to a failure of neural activity by the time we fall asleep.

5. Horton headache

Horton’s headache is a type of migraine that appears more in men than in women.

• It manifests between two and three hours after falling asleep.
• The pain is very intense and lasts for a relatively short time, between 15 minutes and half an hour.
• This pain is on one side of the head, behind one eye, and can reach the temple and neck.
• Among the symptoms that accompany this headache, we often find inflammation of the eyes, nasal congestion, tearing …
• Horton’s headaches can be chronic in some cases.

You have a headache?

If you experience any of these problems for several consecutive days, do not hesitate to consult your doctor. It is important that the professional does a full check-up to find out what can happen to you and what is the most appropriate way to deal with the problem so that you can regain your well-being and lead a normal life.