What Causes Morning Headaches?

There are numerous potential causes of morning headaches. Some of the most common ones include:

  • Sleep apnea
  • Insufficient sleep
  • Oversleeping
  • Migraine
  • TMJ and sleep bruxism
  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Medications
  • Sleep apnea
  • Insufficient sleep
  • Oversleeping
  • Migraine
  • TMJ and sleep bruxism
  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Medications

There are also rare causes like tumors and circadian rhythm disorders that you should only consider after eliminating more common causes. 

Tracking Down Common Morning Headache Causes

If you experience morning headaches, it’s important to try to eliminate all the common headache causes before moving on to other possible explanations.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is one of the most common causes of morning headaches. Perhaps a quarter of all men have sleep apnea, and about a quarter of those with sleep apnea experience morning headaches. If these estimates are accurate, then sleep apnea likely accounts for about half of all chronic morning headaches.

Most people with sleep apnea are undiagnosed. Watch for these common sleep apnea symptoms:

  • Dozing off at work or while driving
  • Waking up unrested no matter how long you spent in bed
  • Moodiness and depression
  • Daytime sleepiness
  • Waking up gasping and short of breath
  • Dry mouth on waking
  • Difficulty concentrating or remembering
  • Weight gain or inability to lose weight
  • Daytime sleepiness
  • Waking up gasping and short of breath
  • Dry mouth on waking
  • Dozing off at work or while driving
  • Waking up unrested no matter how long you spent in bed
  • Moodiness and depression
  • Difficulty concentrating or remembering
  • Weight gain or inability to lose weight

If you have at least two of these symptoms in addition to your headaches, you should get tested for sleep apnea. Detroit sleep dentist Dr. Haddad can help you arrange a home sleep test.

TMJ & Sleep Bruxism

Temporomandibular joint disorders (called TMJ or TMD) can cause headaches at any time of day. If you experience TMJ headaches in the morning, it may be due to clenching and grinding your teeth at night (sleep bruxism). This strains your jaw muscles, which are the largest muscles in your head.

Consider getting tested for TMJ if you experience at least two of the following symptoms in addition to your morning headaches:

  • Ear symptoms like ringing (tinnitus), dizziness, ear fullness or ear pain
  • Face and neck pain
  • Shoulder and back pain
  • Jaw pain
  • Jaw sounds like clicking, popping, or grinding
  • Irregular jaw motion
  • Tooth damage and wear
  • Tingling and numbness in the face, jaw, arms, or fingers
  • Jaw pain
  • Jaw sounds like clicking, popping, or grinding
  • Irregular jaw motion
  • Ear symptoms like ringing (tinnitus), dizziness, ear fullness or ear pain
  • Face and neck pain
  • Shoulder and back pain
  • Tooth damage and wear
  • Tingling and numbness in the face, jaw, arms, or fingers

TMJ and sleep apnea commonly overlap, so having one means you likely have the other. Fortunately, Dr. Haddad knows how to treat both conditions together.

Check Medication Side Effects

Headaches are a common side effect of prescription medications. Check the labeling information or ask your doctor to see if your medications could be causing your headaches.

Don’t neglect over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications. OTC pain relievers can cause medication overuse headaches if you take them regularly. If you’ve been taking OTC pain relievers every day for over a week, consider that they might be causing headaches rather than relieving them.

Keep a Sleep Journal

For other common causes of morning headaches, try keeping a sleep journal. Note when you go to bed, and when you wake up, as well as whether you had trouble falling asleep and woke up during the night. This will help you track whether too much or too little sleep could be responsible for morning headaches.

Track caffeine intake. If you regularly consume a significant amount of caffeine (experts say more than 200 mg per day, about 2-3 8-ounce cups), caffeine itself could be causing your headaches because you’re experiencing the effects of caffeine withdrawal in the morning. Timing of caffeine could also be the problem. If you’re having trouble sleeping at night, try to avoid caffeine for at least 10 hours before bedtime.

Alcohol can cause headaches either by triggering a hangover or interfering with sleep. See if your alcohol consumption correlates with your morning headaches–it might take less alcohol to trigger your headaches now than you think. Alcohol can also trigger headaches because it interferes with sleep quality. To avoid this, don’t consume alcohol within three hours of bedtime.

Help with Morning Headaches in Detroit

If you experience morning headaches on a regular basis, Dr. Jeffrey S. Haddad can help. He can confirm whether sleep apnea or TMJ are causing your headaches and recommend treatment for either or both conditions.

Please call (248) 480-0085 or use our online form today to request an appointment with Dr. Haddad at the Michigan Center for TMJ & Sleep Wellness, serving the Detroit area from our office in Rochester.