Headache Waking You Up? Could Be Hypnic Headache.
You’ve noticed it’s starting to happen on a regular basis. All of a sudden, you wake up with a headache.
You didn’t have the headache when you went to sleep. Where did it come from? It may just be mild, but it could be severe – you might even feel sick.
Now that you’re awake, the headache lasts for a few minutes – but could even last up to four hours.
And it’s happening several times a week now – twice a week, maybe four times, or even every night.
It’s possible that you have a rare kind of primary headache known as hypnic headache.
But don’t jump to conclusions too quickly. This headache, sometimes known as the “alarm clock headache”, really is quite rare. It tends to happen in people over the age of 50, and it can easily be misdiagnosed.
The reason is that there are many other reasons why you may wake up with a headache. Sleep apnea is a common trigger of certain headaches, for example.
If you wake up feeling restless, it probably isn’t hypnic headache. A hypnic headache generally won’t last for more than 4 hours. And it will wake you up quite often – more than twice a week, often every day.
If you suspect you have hypnic headache, your doctor will want to ask some questions to try to find an underlying cause. Chances are she will give you a different diagnosis. Like I said, it’s rare.
However, if you are diagnosed with hypnic headache, there are some excellent treatments.
A recent study suggested that lithium is the best treatment for these types of headaches. Oddly enough, caffeine consumption upon waking is the second-best treatment. Melatonin or indomethacin may also be tried if these are not effective.
For more information about hypnic headache, check the links below:
- Lithium, caffeine effective for hypnic headache treatment
- Hypnic Headache (The Migraine Trust)
- Hypnic headache (International Headache Society)