Night Headache: What Causes This Disorder?

Nocturnal headache affects rest and the ability to get restful sleep. And since we need these hours to wake up the next day with vigor and optimism, it ‘s important to know what the cause of this discomfort might be and how to treat it correctly. 

This nuisance is much more common than we might think. In fact, most people experience it at some point in their lives. And while we can often confuse it with common headaches, nocturnal headaches don’t manifest in exactly the same way.

5 causes of nocturnal headache

On some occasions, we go to bed with a prior inconvenience. Then, this pain that progresses with more intensity throughout the night. Then we open our eyes and feel numb, as if a heavy nebula is pressing down on our heads until we’re powerless.

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

1. Hypnic headache

Hypnic headache is not well known. It is important to say that it can appear at night and even while we sleep in the afternoon.

• It usually appears during REM sleep. It is a mild but incisive pain that usually lasts between 15 minutes, an hour and even two hours.
• Its causes are not well known, but what is clear is that it always appears in this very specific phase of sleep. Therefore, it is believed that the hypnotic headache may be related to a sudden decrease in melatonin,  a hormone that regulates rest.

• Hypnic headache is usually present in many people when they are in their 50s.

2. Foods with inflammatory properties

This is another fact that we don’t always keep in mind. There are certain foods that, consumed in excess, generate changes in our body.

• It is common that many of the dishes we consume, rich in monosodium glutamate, generate headaches in the middle of the night. Especially if we include them in dinner.
• This synthetic additive, in addition to being unhealthy, is very addictive.
• Offers an intense flavor to many products in our daily diet. For example, sauces, creams, bouillon tablets and many types of pre-cooked food.

• In addition, cheeses or other types of dairy products also have inflammatory properties and often cause nocturnal headaches.

All of this forces us to control the quality of our dinners a little more. We must choose carefully which products to consume in this last meal of the day.

3. Sinus headache

Sinus headache is another associated with nocturnal headache.

• This type of headache, as the word implies, is caused by sinusitis.
• The pain in the affected paranasal sinus is very intense. There is a strong sensitivity that reaches, in turn, to the ears and the head.
• People often think that the origin, given its intensity, is due to some type of migraine or that it is a vascular-type headache.
• This type of condition tends to intensify at night if the room environment is very dry. For this reason, humidifiers are highly recommended.

4. Explosive Head Syndrome

Both curious and right. Explosive head syndrome was described in the late 19th century. However, currently we still do not know clearly what causes it.

This type of disorder falls under the category of so-called “parasomnias”, that is, a sleep disorder.

It is an intense headache that appears just when a person is about to fall asleep. Generally, women suffer it more than men.

There are those who experience it only once in their life. In other people, however, it may take a few months. However, in all reported cases this problem usually disappears by itself.

The evidence we have so far is related to an injury to one of the ear bones. It can also occur because of a failure in neuronal activity just as we fall asleep.

5. Cluster headaches

Cluster headache is a type of migraine that appears more often in men than in women.

• It appears within two or three hours of falling asleep.
• The pain is very intense and lasts relatively short, between 15 minutes and half an hour.
• The pain  is located on one side of the head, behind one eye  and can reach the temples and neck.
• Among the symptoms that accompany the headache is also inflammation of the eyes, congested nose, watery eyes, etc.
• Cluster headaches can be chronic in some cases.