Waking up to a migraine attack is one of the most uncomfortable ways to start the day. Also, this can be an important clue in finding the appropriate migraine treatment and prevention.
“According to the American Migraine Foundation, the early hours of the morning are a common time for migraine attacks to start.”
Certain migraine triggers occur because of your sleep routine, making the early hours of your day, when you are extra vulnerable to the migraine pain. In this blog we will understand why you have migraine attacks in the morning and if there’s anything you can do to treat migraine attacks.
Why do migraines happen in the morning?
Migraine attacks often strike in the early hours of morning, just by the nature of the disease. Reasons for this are not well understood, though there are several potential causes, including:
Sleep patterns
How much sleep do you get every night is a strong predictor of how likely you will have a migraine attack in the morning. Research shows, 50% of people who have migraine also have insomnia.
It is found in a study that around 38% of people who have migraine attacks in the morning, sleep for less than 6 hours per night and at least half reported experiencing sleep disturbances.
Mental health conditions
Depression and anxiety have been closely linked to chronic morning headache. Waking up daily with migraine attack makes it a difficult experience, which in turn affects your depression.
Again, depression or anxiety affects your sleep pattern, making you more vulnerable for morning migraine attacks.
Hormones & Medications
In early morning hours, the level of endorphins (natural pain reliever hormones) your body produces are at the lowest levels. So, if you have migraine in the early morning, the pain feels the most severe.
Further any medications to treat migraine is taken during the daytime and it will gradually worn off and cease their effect.
Dehydration & caffeine withdrawal
Dehydration is one of the triggers of migraine attacks. Of course, one can does not drink water in the middle of the sleep, so it is possible that waking up dehydrated is one of the reason for morning migraine attacks.
Coffee and other forms of caffeine dilate the blood vessels in your brain, relieving tension. And caffeine withdrawal has been connected to migraine attacks.
SEE ALSO: Summer Migraines – How To Get Rid of this Annoying Summer Headache
When to see migraine doctor or neurologist
If you wake up with more than 15 migraine attacks per month, you may have a condition called chronic migraine. Sleeping 8 to 10 hours per night, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption might contribute to fewer migraine attacks.
If you have recurring headaches upon awakening that are interfering with your regular activities and that does not respond to self-treatment, that’s the time to see a neurologist.