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· 27 Jan 2022

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Why Do I Wake Up With a Migraine?

Have you ever woken up and felt a severe throbbing or pulsing pain in your head? If yes, how did that make you feel? I am certain that it was a terrible way of starting your day. Scientists teach migraines can genetically be inherited. Migraines are very common and almost everyone goes through that. According to a report given by American Migraine Foundation, migraines mostly happen during the early morning hours, around 4-9 a.m. This is the reason researchers link migraine headaches to sleep patterns and the circadian rhythm. The causes vary depending on an individual’s lifestyle, health status, and sleeping routines. Migraines can result from excess intake of caffeine, alcohol consumption, sleep disorders, stress, etc. Other causes may be the narrowing of the brain’s blood vessels and inflammation. The word migraine may sound simple to understand, but the condition is very complex. To get to know how you can deal with it is important to understand the basics. Migraines don’t just happen. They follow a certain pattern and occur in 4 distant phases which are:

Prodrome. This is the first stage of a migraine headache. It usually takes place even before you experience the actual symptoms. The stage lasts up to 24 hours but can go beyond for a few days, depending on the individual. Symptoms include mood changes, neck stiffness, general tiredness, excessive thirst, and carving of sweet foods.

Aura. Aura is the second phase of migraines and is a stage that is not experienced by everyone. Aura is defined as sensory sensations that people experience when having migraines. In most cases, auras affect the vision, making it difficult for you to see clearly. People having episodes of aura report having other symptoms such as difficulty in speaking, tingling sensations, seeing shapes or lights in the air, and partial loss of sight. These symptoms usually last less than 60 seconds.

Attack. This stage is characterized by severe debilitating pain which can go for hours and many days. This is the actual phase in which the migraine happens. People in this stage report other symptoms, which include: Nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light, sounds, motion, or smells.

Postdrome. It is the phase that happens after the actual migraine. It leaves people very weak, tired, and a bit confused. Even if it is the recovery phase, it may make people feel very sick and uninterested in activities around them. Migraine causes are:


Dehydration. The human body comprises 70% water. This water is lost through sweat, stool, urine, and sometimes vomiting. For your body to function well, it’s important to replace this water. However, this may not always be the case because most people only take water when they feel thirsty. Up to ⅓ of people agree that failure to drink water gives them migraine headaches. Have you ever wondered why most migraines happen immediately after waking up? It is because even when your body requires water at bedtime; you can’t feel yourself and therefore you cannot wake up to drink water. This makes your brain contract and shrink in size. The shrinking pulls the brain away from the skull and this results in pain, discomforts, and severe headache.


Sleep Patterns. Sleep is a part of human life. During sleep, our bodies go into total rest, which is very critical for various body benefits, i.e., good mental health, metabolism, concentration, better decision-making skills, etc. For you to gain all these benefits, you must maintain a constant sleep routine. The amount of sleep you get every night predicts if you will get a migraine attack in the morning or not. Sleep patterns are regulated by an internal clock known as the circadian rhythm. This rhythm works loosely to a hormone known as melatonin that is secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain. In the evening, as the day is ending, melatonin levels go high in blood and this ushers your body into sleep. In the morning at around 4-6 am, the melatonin levels reduce and this keeps you awake. This means that failure to sleep well ends in a migraine headache in the morning. Research says that 50% of people experience insomnia. Migraine attacks are as well common in people who sleep less than 6 hours per night. Anything that disrupts your sleep, such as sleeping late hours, using mobile phones in your bed, grinding your teeth, and others, may all trigger migraines.


Alcohol Hangover. Alcohol is a major cause of migraine headaches in the morning. This happens particularly in people who take alcohol excessively before they go to bed. Anytime you take alcohol (in our case excess), your blood alcohol level shoots up. Your body also gets overstimulated to produce large amounts of urine, which then leaves you dehydrated. This dehydration affects your entire body, particularly the brain, which shrinks and reduces in size. Alcohol also expands your blood vessels, lowering your blood pressure, and this gives you headaches. Another important thing to note is that alcohol has a crucial ingredient known as ethanol. When this ethanol reaches your body, it gets converted into more components that trigger migraines.


The Temporomandibular Joint(TMJ). This is a major cause of headaches. The joint connects your jaw to the skull. Just like any other joint, it is prone to stress and pain, which can result from too much gum chewing, especially at night. Other factors that cause pain on this joint are teeth clenching and grinding can also give you migraines the next morning. If this goes on untreated, you develop chronic pain, swelling, and tenderness. If you are experiencing this, it is important to see your doctor for proper evaluation. The doctor can prescribe teeth grinding guard to help reduce the pain and discomfort of the joint.


Brain Tumors. Brain tumors are one of the worst tumors and a major cause of death. Although medical technology has advanced, many people still don’t survive brain tumors. Statistics show that only 5 people in a group of 100, 000 are diagnosed with a brain tumor each year. In such people, tumor problems usually start from a different region other than the brain. It is very obvious to get worried any time you have a migraine to think of a brain tumor, right? The best thing is those brain tumors are rare and cause other symptoms beyond severe migraines. One thing about these tumors is that they cause headaches, not just in the morning. As the tumor increases in size, it increases the intracranial pressure within the skull. It also blocks the free flow of cerebrospinal fluid, giving you a severe headache. Other symptoms of brain tumor are depression, poor concentration, nausea, vomiting, changes in personality, difficulty in speech or language, seizures and convulsions, swelling of the eyes, which then causes vision problems. For more tips on the causes of migraines and treatment options, check this out:
https://www.healthline.com/health/migraine/waking-up-with-a-migraine#causes
https://migrainepal.com/why-do-i-wake-up-with-a-migraine/ 



Conclusion

Morning migraines have many causes, which range from mild lack of sleep to more serious conditions like brain tumors. Diet, alcohol intake, other medical conditions, and dehydration could all be part of what gives you migraine attacks. Understanding the triggers can help you know how to deal with migraines better. Drinking plenty of water, limiting alcohol intake, and sleeping for at least 6 hours at night can help reduce migraine attacks. Until today, there is no known cure to treat migraines. However, medical professionals usually direct treatment to other symptoms that are associated with migraines. Speaking to your doctor enables you to understand the underlying causes of migraines and tips to curb them.

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