At Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center, we want to help you achieve your best health and quality of life yet. Unfortunately, one of the problems that can prevent you from living a high-quality life is frequent headaches and migraines. The constant throbbing pain in your head day after day can make you hide in a dark room until it passes. This is no way to live your life. Learn answers to your top questions about headaches and migraines so you can get the treatment you need to enhance your quality of life.

Woman in bed with a morning headache

Why Do I Wake Up With a Pounding Headache?

Waking up with a headache is a terrible way to start your day. If this happens frequently, you might wonder what’s causing these pounding headaches in the morning in the first place. Nearly one in 13 people experience morning headaches and can occur for a wide range of reasons including:

  • Insomnia
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Sleep apnea or snoring
  • Teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism)
  • TMJ disorder
  • Strained muscles
  • Alcohol or medication
  • Hypertension
  • Musculoskeletal diseases
  • Dehydration

To determine the cause of your morning headaches, we recommend talking to one of our sleep dentists or your physician about all the different symptoms you experience. This can help rule out other potential causes and pinpoint the top possible causes. If one of our sleep dentists suspects it’s dental-related or sleep apnea, he can help point you in the right direction for a diagnosis.

Can Dehydration Cause Morning Headaches?

If you fail to drink enough water during the day and go to sleep heavily dehydrated, you can definitely wake up with a headache. Drinking alcohol before bed without replenishing electrolytes can also result in a dehydration headache in the morning. Make sure you drink at least 64 ounces of water per day and more if you participate in rigorous exercise. You need to replace any water in your body that you sweat out. Drinking too much caffeine can also cause you to become dehydrated. Try to drink an extra cup of water for every cup of coffee or caffeinated beverage you consume.

When Should I Be Concerned About a Headache?

You should be concerned about morning headaches if they happen frequently (multiple times per week) or at least 15 days per month. You should also be concerned if they cause excruciating pain. Consistent headaches are not normal and you should visit your physician if it’s a regular occurrence. 

Why Do I Get Headaches Every Day?

A number of factors can cause daily headaches. Some of the most common causes include:

  • TMJ disorder
  • Sleep apnea
  • Hormone changes, including birth control pills
  • Stress
  • Dehydration 
  • Anemia
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Lupus
  • Diabetes
  • Sinus infection
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Changes in sleep schedule
  • Too much caffeine 
  • Brain tumor (very rare)

What Does a Sleep Apnea Headache Feel Like?

Sleep apnea headaches are the types of headaches we treat here at Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center. If you have untreated sleep apnea, you will likely experience a sleep apnea headache regularly.

Sleep apnea headaches can feel a lot like a migraine and will occur at least 15 times per month, causing pain on both sides of the head, nausea, and sound and light sensitivity. The most important thing to note is that sleep apnea headaches usually go away within 4 hours.

The best way to know if it’s a sleep apnea headache or not is to look for other symptoms of sleep apnea. If you experience morning headaches as well as loud snoring, coughing, choking or gasping in your sleep, daytime sleepiness, difficulty concentrating or remembering things, or mood changes, you might have sleep apnea. We recommend visiting one of our sleep dentists for a consultation to determine if you should take a sleep test. After taking a sleep test, a physician will diagnose you and work with one of our sleep dentists to provide you with the proper treatment. With consistent treatment, sleep apnea headaches will resolve and no longer occur. 

How To Help Relieve a Headache?

Man Smiling Without Headache
There are a few things you can do to help relieve headache pain. First, try taking over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or aspirin. Applying heat or ice to areas in pain can also help reduce pain. In case your headache is due to dehydration, we recommend drinking a lot of water or a drink high in electrolytes. A head massage can also help reduce any pain you experience. These are all short-term solutions to help with headaches.

If you want a long-term solution, you need to figure out the initial cause of your headaches. Once you receive a diagnosis, you can receive the recommended treatment to prevent headaches. Your treatment might be as simple as drinking more water, stop drinking alcohol, or switching your birth control pills. 

If you suspect that your headaches have anything to do with sleep apnea or snoring, we can help. At Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center in Omaha, NE, one of our sleep dentists can screen you for sleep apnea and refer you to a home sleep testing service where you will receive a sleep apnea diagnosis from a physician. Then, we can provide you with a comfortable and effective sleep apnea treatment that puts your frequent headaches to bed for good.

Contact us at (402) 493-4175 to book a new patient appointment today.