A RESTFUL SLEEP – SWEET DREAM YOUR HEADACHE AWAY
Do you wake up in the morning with a headache? Is a bad night’s sleep one of your migraine triggers? Poor quality sleep may not only affect your migraine and tension headache, it can also increase your risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stomach ulcers and other diseases. You need to be getting good quality sleep to let your body and brain rejuvenate from the stresses of life. Sleeping well can provide headache relief in and of itself.
What can you do to sleep better? One simple technique my clients use relieves the neck, shoulder and back pain that comes on when they lie down to sleep. How can you sleep well when your body’s aches and pains refuse to let you rest comfortably?
Technique to relieve sleeping discomfort (see Illustration below)
- Take an extra pillow and place it under your trunk on the side you are sleeping on.
- The extra pillow will boost your trunk up, so that your body weight will be lifted off your shoulder. Your shoulder is now placed into the “valley” that has been created by the extra pillow. Your rib cage now absorbs the weight of your trunk, not your sensitive shoulder.
- Your spine will automatically straighten as the pillow boosts up your trunk and decreases the curve in the spine, which can relieve back and neck pain.
- Put a towel roll under your neck to support your neck. If you have jaw pain, you will put less pressure onto your jaw with the neck support. Slide the towel roll into your pillow case to prevent it from moving around during the night.
- You may roll over unconsciously onto your painful shoulder or twist your neck in the middle of the night. Push your bed up against a wall. Your back now has extra support, which will block you from rolling over in your sleep. If moving your bed is not feasible, you may find the couch a much easier place to sleep as it gives you more trunk support, again with the pillow under your rib cage. The back of the couch prevents you from turning over onto your painful shoulder in the middle of the night.
Some clients tell me this technique to relieve neck, shoulder and back pain is one of the best treatments they have ever received, as they can finally get some decent sleep.
Reasons for why you wake up with a headache
Could you be dehydrated from going all night without fluids? You may need to drink some water first thing in the morning.
You may be going through a mild caffeine withdrawal, and you need to get that cup of coffee to resupply you with the caffeine that gives you headache relief. In general, you should avoid caffeine or chocolate past mid-afternoon. Caffeine is great to get you going in the morning, but it can make it harder to wind down at night.
Some people are very sensitive to the rise and fall of your blood sugar levels. In the morning, your blood sugar levels may be out of your target range.
Ideas to get a better night’s sleep
Avoid computers, phones, television and other bright, stimulating artificial light before bed. Do more calming activity such as reading before you turn off the light. Make sure you cover the light from a phone recharger or computers screen so that you can have as close to complete darkness as possible.
You can try taking a shower right before bed. As you cool down after the shower, your body may prepare for sleep mode.
Is your room too warm? Would notching the temperature down several degrees provide a better sleeping environment? Would you sleep better with a heated or weighted blanket?
You may be distraught over some stressful life event. When you stop the hustle and bustle of the day and lie down to try to sleep, the stressful situation churns itself over and over in your mind. Redirect your mind away from this stressor so that you can get a restful sleep. Check your jaw? Is it clenched? Are your shoulders hunched and drawn up tightly? Abdominal breathing may help shut down these stress responses. Do several of the relaxation techniques that are described in my book. If you are unable to deal with your stress by yourself, talk through things with a friend. Consider consulting a professional behavioral therapist or health psychologist to give you strategies to separate you from your stress.
Exercise is a great stress reducer. You should do whatever exercise activity you find most appealing. Intense exercise later in the day may make it more difficult to wind down as bedtime approaches. Pay attention to how your activity level affects your sleep. Keep track of how you sleep on your high activity days versus your low physical activity days.
Maintain a regular bedtime and stick to it! People with migraines benefit from regular schedules. Disruptive, irregular sleep times can be a migraine trigger. One of the most considerate things you can do for your migraine brain is to give it a good night of pleasant dreams.
-You understand that if not done properly, some techniques and exercises described in this blog could harm you. Any activities you perform are at your own risk, and you expressly agree to waive any claims against the author for any harm that may arise from your own actions. By reading this blog and conducting these exercises, you accept this risk. This blog provides content related to physical and/or mental health issues. As such, your use of techniques described acts as your acceptance of this disclaimer. Consult Chapter 2 in my book, “Calming the Headache Storm” to make sure the headache is not the sign of a more serious problem. The techniques, advice and strategies contained in this blog may not be suitable for every individual and should be abandoned if your headache increases. Seek the advice of your physician.