Why Do I Wake Up With a Headache (and How to Prevent It)

A man suffering from a morning headache, lying in bed and massaging his temples.

Ever woken up to a new day with a morning headache? You're not alone because morning headaches occur in one out of 13 people, according to JAMA Internal Medicine.(1)


Several factors cause morning headaches, including insomnia and sleep apnea. Grinding your teeth, alcohol, and oversleeping are also potential culprits.


Let’s examine these causes and explore some morning headache prevention tips.

Key Takeaways

  • Morning headaches can be caused by dehydration, sleep apnea, teeth grinding, certain medications, circadian rhythm disorders, and sleeping position.

  • Preventing morning headaches involves lifestyle changes, like maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, staying hydrated, using proper pillows, and moderating alcohol consumption.

  • While morning headaches aren't usually serious, watch out for sudden and severe pain, confusion, one-sided weakness, vision changes, or head pain that wakes you up.

Table of Contents

Why Do I Wake Up With a Headache?

Dehydration, sleep apnea and teeth grinding are the typical causes of morning headaches. However, there are other less obvious culprits, such as headache disorders, insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders.


Anxiety and depression can also lead to morning headaches. Alcohol and certain medications are also potential causes.


We'll leave no stone unturned by exploring each cause (and more) in this article.

Headache Disorder

Some headache disorders are notorious for striking at dawn.


Migraine headaches are an intense throbbing in a specific part of your head. Migraine sufferers also experience light and sound sensitivity and nausea. A migraine attack might happen in the morning because this is when endorphins (which fight pain) decrease, cortisol (the stress hormone) increases, and serotonin (which regulates blood vessels) fluctuates.


A tension headache is another type of headache disorder that might occur early in the morning. It's a squeezing pain felt throughout your head. An awkward neck position during sleep and teeth grinding can cause tension-type headaches.


A cluster headache is excruciating pain on one side of the head, and around or behind one eye. Cluster headaches usually happen at the same time, accompanied by tearing, nasal congestion and restlessness. Cluster headaches might wake you in the morning because the body's circadian rhythm is messed up by abnormal activity in the hypothalamus (which regulates your sleep-wake schedule). It's your brain telling your body to wake up instead of to stay asleep.


A hypnic headache, also known as an "alarm clock" headache, occurs at a precise time. This type of headache usually happens between midnight and 4 a.m. The pain is moderate compared to other types of headache and is felt across both sides of the head. A hypnic headache usually starts during the REM sleep stage (often in the early morning).


An intracranial structural headache is a rare headache disorder that's a symptom of something serious happening in your skull. It's a secondary headache caused by a brain tumor, bleeding or too much fluid in the brain. Changes in breathing and lying down can cause pressure to build up in the brain at night, waking you with a headache. Chronic headaches of this nature are serious and need immediate medical attention, especially if they're accompanied by blurred or double vision, nausea and vomiting.


You can try to prevent your morning headache by: maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, using pillows that support your neck and head, and consulting a doctor to identify any underlying medical conditions.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is characterized by breathing pauses and extra loud snoring during sleep. The most common cause is when the back of the tongue collapses to the soft palate at the back of the throat, blocking the airways.


Breathing pauses and snoring cause oxygen levels to drop. Blood vessels in your brain dilate in order to pull in more oxygen. The dilation causes pressure to build up in your brain, resulting in a morning headache.


Carbon dioxide also builds up in your blood, resulting in hypoventilation, which interferes with blood vessels, cranking up the pain in your head.


The breathing pauses also cause micro-awakenings, which fragment your sleep. (And if there's one thing that triggers a nasty headache, it's poor sleep quality.)


If your morning headaches stem from sleep apnea or snoring, then address the underlying cause. Snoring, even when it isn't caused by sleep apnea, can also cause a morning headache.


You can ease mild sleep apnea by sleeping on your side, using nasal breathing aids like Manta Nasal Strips, drinking water before bedtime, using a mouthguard and a humidifier. Obstructive sleep apnea is more severe and should be treated by a doctor. Treatment sometimes involves Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy.

Dehydration

A morning headache might be your brain's desperate cry for water! As you sleep, your body keeps losing water through breathing and sweating. Plus, the kidneys don't stop working, either.


Dehydration causes the brain to shrink and become more pain-sensitive. It also messes with the balance of electrolytes, which lowers your pain threshold.


Dehydration also decreases the blood volume, making oxygen delivery throughout the body difficult. Low oxygen leads to an increased dilation of your brain's blood vessels, resulting in pressure buildup that culminates in a morning headache.


Prevent this type of headache by staying hydrated throughout the day. Drink a glass of water at least 1 hour before hitting the sack, but don't drink a lot too close to bedtime. It can cause frequent midnight bathroom trips (also known as nocturia), which disrupts sleep.

Teeth Grinding

A man clenching his jaw and grinding his teeth while asleep in bed.

Grinding your teeth during sleep, also known as sleep bruxism, wreaks havoc on your teeth, jaw and sleep quality. You might be unaware you're doing it. Common symptoms to watch out for are a sore jaw, loose or sensitive teeth, cheek and temple pain, a clicking or popping jaw and worn tooth enamel.


Bruxism causes muscle tension in the jaw. The clenching and grinding cause tears and inflammation in the muscle fibers. Blood flow becomes restricted, and lactic acid builds up. All these contribute to pain felt across the temples, forehead and the back of the head.


Your morning headache may also be caused by irritated face and neck muscles, which can refer pain to your head. When you grind your teeth, the jaw muscles tighten and pull on the neck muscles, restricting blood flow to your head and resulting in head pain.


Prevention tips include wearing night guards or dental splints, sleeping on your back instead of your side, and massaging and stretching the jaw. In some cases, Botox can be injected into the jaw muscles to prevent teeth grinding.

Insomnia

This sleep disorder is characterized by difficulty falling and staying asleep. Insomnia is considered chronic when it happens at least 3 times a week, persisting for at least 3 months.


Insomnia causes morning headaches because it robs you of adequate sleep. Without enough shuteye, your body misses out on recovery time, triggering headache-friendly conditions. Your inflammation levels increase, causing your body to produce cytokines, which trigger pain. Your threshold for pain decreases while your stress hormones increase.


Insomnia can also cause headache pain by depleting the sleep-regulating serotonin, interfering with the pain-inhibiting dopamine, and disrupting the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin, which is also a pain regulator.

Oversleeping

Oversleeping causes fluctuations in serotonin levels, disrupting the body's pain-processing centers. Sleeping in for too long can also cause dehydration, which might lead to a morning headache.


Oversleeping can also decrease glucose levels. (Imagine going 10 to 12 hours without any food!) When glucose levels drop, you experience what is known as a hypoglycemic headache.


Preventing this type of morning headache is simple: Don't oversleep. Stick to a regular sleep schedule of 7 to 9 hours, including on the weekends.

Circadian Rhythm Disorders

Waking up with a headache might be due to a problem with your circadian rhythm, the body's 24-hour timekeeper, which regulates the sleep cycle. Delayed sleep phase disorder (falling asleep too late), advanced sleep phase disorder (falling asleep too early) and irregular sleep patterns can throw your internal clock out of sync and result in morning headaches.


The circadian rhythm also regulates pain sensitivity. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine and conducted on mice, the trigeminal ganglion (a pain processing center for some headache disorders that occur at the same time daily) has a 24-hour cycle that may be linked to the daily cycle of headaches.(2)


Headache sufferers usually have lower melatonin levels. Melatonin helps regulate your sleep cycle and pain. Combined with lower endorphin levels and dehydration, they roll out the red carpet for a morning headache.

Inadequate Sleeping Position

Waking up with a headache? Examine your sleeping posture and change it, if necessary.


Stomach sleeping, known as the prone sleep position, strains the neck muscles, which can result in a cervicogenic headache.


Side sleepers can also experience headache pain due to too high-loft pillows that force their necks to bend unnaturally. Sleeping on your side also exacerbates bruxism.


Using pillows that support your neck's natural curve is key. If you're a side sleeper, use a pillow that fills the space between your ear and shoulder. Back sleepers should use a pillow with a loft of 5 to 7 inches. Stomach sleepers should use the thinnest pillow possible.

Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression can seriously harm your sleep quality. They cause a longer sleep onset, interrupted sleep from multiple awakenings, and reduce time spent in restorative sleep stages. It's the perfect formula for waking up with a morning headache!


Anxiety doesn't just affect the mind. It's also felt in the muscles, creating neck, shoulder and head tension. This tension can last throughout the night, waking you with a morning headache.


Depression and anxiety disrupt the levels of pain-regulating serotonin and dopamine, too. Lower serotonin levels can increase your pain sensitivity, making morning headaches last longer and make them more painful.


To prevent this type of headache, address the mental health condition. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help with mood disorders. Mindfulness exercises and relaxation techniques before bedtime can help ease muscle tension.


Why not try using a weighted eye mask for anxiety? This sleep mask works by delivering a calming, gentle pressure to relaxation points on the face. It also provides complete darkness, which is essential to good sleep quality!

Alcohol

Alcohol can cause a hangover headache because it's a diuretic that makes you lose more fluids than you consume. Dehydration from alcohol causes headache pain because it makes your brain temporarily shrink, tugging on pain-sensitive membranes (meninges).


The blood vessels in your brain dilate and then constrict as your body metabolizes alcohol. This dilation-constriction cycle triggers headaches. Alcohol can also make you fall asleep faster than is healthy, reducing your sleep latency (the amount of time you need to fall asleep).


Reduce the likelihood of a hangover headache by alternating one glass of water with one alcoholic drink. Keep your alcohol consumption moderate, and don't drink too close to bedtime.

Certain Medications

If you're regularly waking up with a headache, the culprit may be in your medicine cabinet.


A rebound headache, also known as a medication overuse headache (MOH), is caused by the effects of pain medication wearing off overnight. This occurs with a regular intake of painkillers and an existing headache disorder. Fifteen or more days per month is considered regular use, according to the National Library of Medicine.(3)


Let's take a look at other medications that might trigger a morning headache:


  • Some high blood pressure medications disrupt blood flow to your brain at night.

  • Certain medications for ADHD cause insomnia and broken sleep.

  • Some depression medications can prevent you from entering the REM sleep stage.

  • Antihistamines and diabetes medications can lead to dehydration.

  • Some erectile dysfunction medications and nitrates for heart conditions trigger pain receptors in the brain.

  • Certain antidepressants alter serotonin levels, interfering with pain and blood vessel regulation.

Other Rare Causes

Now that you know the common culprits of morning headaches, let's take a look at some unusual suspects:


  • Brain tumors can cause headache pain due to increased intracranial pressure. These headaches are usually worse in the early morning when you wake up.

  • Exploding head syndrome is a crashing or exploding sound that only you can hear as you transition from sleep to wakefulness. While usually painless, Oxford Academic says that some report a stabbing pain in the head upon awakening.(4)

  • Vascular conditions, such as venous thrombosis and arterial tears, can alter blood flow and pressure overnight.

  • Chiari malformation is a structural problem at the base of the skull, where brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, causing headaches that are sometimes worse in the morning.


See a doctor if you suspect you have any of these conditions.

When Should I See a Doctor About My Morning Headache?

Occasionally waking up with a headache after a night of drinking, dehydration or oversleeping isn't usually a cause for concern. So, when should you consult a healthcare provider?


These warning signs mean you need immediate medical attention:


  • Sudden and severe head pain

  • Feeling confused

  • Slurring your words

  • Feeling weak on one side of your body

  • Fever and a stiff neck

  • Light sensitivity

  • Pain that occurs after a head injury

  • Not being able to see or other vision changes


These symptoms mean you should schedule a doctor's appointment:


  • Experiencing headaches more than twice weekly

  • Waking up consistently from the headache pain

  • Headaches that don't respond to over-the-counter medications

  • Pain that worsens over time

  • Headaches accompanied by sleep problems

  • Headaches after starting a new medication


It's a good rule of thumb to prepare for your doctor's appointment. Document the duration, intensity and suspected triggers in a headache diary. It will help your doctor make a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

How to Prevent Morning Headaches

A man drinking water before bed to avoid waking up with a headache from dehydration.

The first and most important step to morning headache prevention is identifying the root cause.


Here are some simple tips:


  • Establish good sleep hygiene by maintaining a consistent sleep schedule to regulate your sleep patterns.

  • Choose pillows that adequately support your head and neck's natural curve.

  • Avoid sleeping on your stomach, and if you must, use a thin pillow.

  • If you have sleep apnea, avoid sleeping on your back. Sleep on your side and consider mouthguards, nasal breathing aids, and CPAP therapy, if doctor-recommended.

  • Stay hydrated. Drink water at least 1 hour before hitting the sack.

  • Use a humidifier.

  • Wear dental splints or nightguards, and sleep on your side if you grind your teeth.

  • Don't oversleep even on weekends. Maintain a regular sleep schedule of 7 to 9 hours.

  • Engage in mindfulness exercises, relaxation techniques and gentle stretching before bed to calm racing thoughts and ease muscle tension.

  • Don't drink too much alcohol too close to bedtime. Drink a glass of water for every alcoholic drink you consume.

  • Take your medicine with food, if possible.


If your morning headaches persist or worsen even after making these lifestyle changes, speak to a medical professional.

Conclusion

We hope this article helps you address your morning headaches and understand their causes.


Most morning headaches can be treated with lifestyle tweaks. However, if your morning headaches worsen and you experience warning signs like the ones we mentioned above, get immediate medical attention.


Here's to starting your day pain-free and refreshed!

Frequently Asked Questions About Waking Up With a Headache

Why Do I Wake Up From a Nap With a Headache?

Waking up from a nap with a headache is caused by several factors. One is waking up during the deep sleep stage. This causes sleep inertia, a groggy or disoriented state that is sometimes accompanied by a headache.


Your napping environment also plays a role. Overly bright lights, poor air quality, and noise can harm your sleep quality, contributing to a post-nap headache.

Can Not Drinking Enough Water Cause a Morning Headache?

Not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration, which can cause a morning headache. Dehydration causes your brain to shrink temporarily and become more sensitive to pain. It also disrupts your electrolyte balance, decreases blood volume, and restricts oxygen delivery, all of which result in morning headaches.

Can a Hangover Cause a Morning Headache?

A hangover can cause a morning headache because alcohol dehydrates you, causing your brain to temporarily shrink and pull on pain-sensitive membranes. Alcohol also makes you fall asleep faster than is healthy, reducing your sleep latency. These factors can lead to a morning headache.

What Can I Take for a Morning Headache?

You can take over-the-counter painkillers, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen sodium for a morning headache.


For a natural approach, try drinking a cup of water and coffee. Do gentle stretching to ease tension in the neck and shoulders. Put a cold or warm compress on your head. Try aromatherapy with peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils. Eat magnesium-rich foods like bananas or almonds.

Sources:  

(1) “Prevalence and Risk Factors of Morning Headaches in the General Population.” JAMA Internal Medicine, jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/216451. Accessed 08 August 2025.

(2) “Regulation of headache response and transcriptomic network by the trigeminal ganglion clock.” National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38288634/. Accessed 08 August 2025.

(3) “Medication-Overuse Headache.” National Library of Medicine, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538150/. Accessed 11 August 2025.

(4) “Exploding head syndrome- It’s not as benign as we think, with the company it keeps.” Oxford Academic, academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/48/5/zsaf044/8030311. Accessed 12 August 2025.


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