Night attacks of headache. Why does my head hurt at night while sleeping: causes and solution to the problem

Why do night headaches occur?

If you experience headaches at night, it may be due to a mental or physical disorder.

While a one-time episode can be treated with pain medication, regular headaches are a serious reason to visit a doctor.

There are many reasons for the development of pain syndrome, here are the main ones:

1. Excessive overload and severe emotional fatigue.
2. Overexertion, migraine.
3. Blood pressure surges.
4. Side effect of the drug being taken.
5. Cluster disease and cervical osteochondrosis.
6. Regular consumption of alcohol, caffeine and smoking.
7. Depression, depressed state.
8. Uncomfortable sleeping place, posture.

Pain during sleep is a signal of impaired blood supply and metabolic processes in the brain. Since the brain does not have reserves of nutrients, but receives them through delivery through blood vessels, it instantly reacts to a lack of glucose, oxygen and other necessary substances.

The cause will be diabetes mellitus, since it is accompanied by metabolic disorders of several systems at once. Headaches are common in diabetes.

A sudden attack of headache at night in older people will be a signal of a possible stroke or heart attack.

Spasms in the head are complemented by unpleasant pressing sensations in the chest and numbness in the left arm. If you have such symptoms, you should urgently call an ambulance.

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Preventive measures for cephalgia

Preventing pathology is much easier than treating it. By following simple recommendations, you can forget about headaches forever:

• adequate sleep of at least 8 hours,
• breaks during work (preferably walk, do light exercises),
• reduce consumption of energy drinks, caffeinated drinks,
• alcoholic cocktails, tobacco products,
• engage in race walking, running, swimming.

Headache in the evening is not a separate pathology, but is its symptomatology. To eliminate cephalalgia, it is necessary to neutralize the root cause.

If the true origin of the disease cannot be determined, as is the case with migraine attacks, nausea and dizziness, which prevent a person from leading a normal life, then therapy should be aimed at preventing and mitigating the subsequent crisis.

Cephalgia that appears at night greatly complicates a person’s usual existence, because it does not allow a person to get a full night’s sleep or regain strength after a hard day. To cope with the syndrome, you should determine its causes and select the appropriate treatment, which can only be prescribed by a doctor based on the results of the examination.

Why does my head hurt at night but goes away in the morning?

Often headaches go away by morning. This is due to the fact that the brain still manages to rest and relieve stress. Unpleasant sensations may disappear after waking up due to the fact that the person enters the active phase and the brain is more saturated with oxygen.

If the next morning the discomfort goes away only after breakfast, you need to reconsider your diet and add a vitamin complex to it; during sleep, the brain does not have enough substances to produce the hormone of sleep and awakening.

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Who suffered from this?

The interpretation of the dream takes into account who complained of a headache:

• you yourself will be busy with chores;
• one of the parents - they may have health problems;
• husband (wife) - tension will arise in the relationship;
• child - he requires more attention from you, perhaps going through a difficult period;
• relative - a difficult joint matter awaits;
• friend (girlfriend) - you can quarrel;
• stranger - difficulties may appear from unexpected places.

How to eliminate pain

If pain syndrome is caused by increased blood pressure surges, you need to take medications to return it to normal. Osteochondrosis is treated by an orthopedist using preventive physical activity and massage. You need to fight depression by taking antidepressants, they have a hypnotic effect, but for this you need to consult a psychotherapist.

To reduce the risk of unpleasant pain during sleep, follow the rules:

1. You should check your room 20 minutes before bedtime, even if it’s cold outside.
2. An hour before rest, you need to stop watching TV, using a smartphone, and reading e-books.
3. Dinner 2-3 hours before bedtime should be light.
4. You should not drink alcohol or coffee 4-5 hours before bedtime.
5. Sleep at least 7 hours a day, without oversleeping, and avoid naps during the day.
6. Before resting, you need a walk in the fresh air.
7. Sleep in a comfortable position.

You need to adjust your diet and try to give up bad habits. Diseases of the cardiovascular system and spine should be treated under the supervision of a doctor, following his recommendations.

Cramps in the head are a signal to think about your health. After identifying the cause of the discomfort, treatment must begin; the onset of pain syndrome has a bad effect on the quality of life.

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What tests are usually prescribed?

At an appointment with a neurologist, a physical examination of the patient is performed: basic neurological reflexes are checked and the neck muscles are examined.

The doctor writes out a referral for tests: general blood test, biochemical blood test, blood sugar test.

A general blood test with an increase in ESR or an increased content of leukocytes indicates inflammation in the body.

Blood biochemistry may indicate a deficiency of one of the vital elements, which leads to discomfort in the head area.

Low blood glucose levels are often accompanied by cephalgia, dizziness and weakness.

The doctor may write a referral for additional tests:

1. The gas composition of arterial blood can reveal cerebral hypoxia.
2. A blood test for hormones determines various abnormalities in the functioning of the hypothalamus.

A neurologist can give a referral to one or more diagnostic methods:

1. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - excludes the presence of various neoplasms (tumors and cysts), aneurysms. The photographs clearly show post-traumatic defects, neurodegenerative abnormalities, and changes in blood vessels affected by atherosclerosis.
2. Computed tomography (CT) is the most informative method for studying the brain. It gives a clear idea of ​​pathological changes in the skull and brain, pathology of bone tissue, blood vessels and brain structures. Provides information about the consequences of traumatic brain injuries. The disadvantage of this method is the significant radiation dose during the study.
3. Electroencephalography gives an idea of ​​the presence of pathological changes in blood vessels and impaired cerebral circulation.
4. Doppler ultrasound (ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck) - shows the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries; narrowing and tortuosity of the arteries, leading to brain hypoxia; peripheral vascular resistance.
5. Rheoencephalography (REG) - gives an idea of ​​the tone and blood flow of blood vessels. Using REG, the following are diagnosed: hypertension, atherosclerosis, vegetative-vascular dystonia.
6. MRI of the cervical spine - the presence of cervical osteochondrosis can cause pain in the head and neck, which intensifies when turning the head.
7. Rheovasography of cerebral vessels (RVG) - shows the quality of blood flow through the great vessels, evaluates collateral circulation.
8. Radiography will be less known. In the image you can only see the bone structures of the skull, soft tissues are not visible.

There is no need to panic when scheduling such a serious examination. The doctor excludes rare severe pathologies and looks for the causes of the pain process.

Based on the studies, if no serious organic lesions are found, the cause of the disease is usually diagnosed. It develops as a result of: vascular spasms, cerebral hypoxia, hypertonicity of cerebral vessels, hormonal imbalances, vegetative-vascular dystonia or osteochondrosis, provoked by physical or psycho-emotional stress.

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Types of pain

Cephalgia has features caused by:

• neurocranial, vascular pathologies;
• infectious diseases;
• migraine;
• cluster type;
• tension;
• injuries;
• consequences of taking medications or exposure to chemicals;
• metabolic disorders.

Also, pain, not being associated with brain damage, acts as a signal of a failure in the normal functioning of body functions. What manifests itself at night, when in the absence of outside stimuli, problems that can lead to the onset of a serious illness become apparent. Therefore, all senses are aggravated to their maximum values, the more unpleasant and unexpected the night pain that arises. As a result, a person cannot fall asleep, getting up the next morning with a “broken” head, a complete lack of attention, and decreased performance.

Safe medications and pills

When planning a visit to the doctor, the patient should be prepared to answer questions about how often pain occurs and what its intensity is. This will help the doctor develop the correct treatment tactics.

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Groups of drugs effective for episodic attacks of pain

Medicines for the treatment of pathology are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They have an analgesic effect, relieve inflammation, and eliminate swelling.

Often prescribed:

• Ibuprofen-400 mg per day;
• Ketoprofen-100 mg/s;
• Naproxen-500 mg/s;
• Meloxicam-7.5-15 mg/s;
• Celecoxib-200 mg/s.

Most NSAIDs have a negative side effect: with long-term use, they negatively affect the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, including the development of drug-induced gastritis.

Medicines Meloxicam and Celecoxib are new generation drugs that do not have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract. The disadvantages of using these drugs include the relatively high price.

Analgesics are often used at home to relieve an attack. They do not treat the disease, but only relieve pain. Drugs in this group are suitable for stopping episodic attacks, but their systematic use leads to the occurrence of abuse syndrome.

During an attack of pain, you can take Paracetamol-100 mg, Citramon, Analgin-500 mg or Mig 200-400 mg.

If the examination revealed the appearance of cephalgia after exercise as a result of increased blood pressure, the doctor will prescribe medications prescribed at an early stage of the development of hypertension. These include: vasodilators, ACE inhibitors, diuretics, calcium channel blockers.

Self-prescribing antihypertensive drugs is unacceptable. Self-medication leads to serious consequences.

For muscle tension, drugs from the group of muscle relaxants are used as part of complex treatment. They relax the spasmodic muscles of the head and neck, relieving pain of a spastic nature, and help restore blood flow.

Often prescribed:

• Mydocalm-150-450 mg per day;
• Sirdalud (Tizanidine) - 4 mg/s;
• Baclofen-15 mg/s.

Nootropic drugs are often prescribed as part of complex treatment: Phenibut, Nootropil, Glycine. Nootropics have an activating effect on brain function and increase its resistance to damaging factors. The drugs improve cerebral circulation and eliminate the consequences of traumatic brain injuries.

Sedatives in combination with basic drugs lead to muscle relaxation and decreased vascular tone. Taking tranquilizers helps relieve pain, but this type of medication quickly causes drug dependence with withdrawal symptoms.

Sedatives that are not addictive: Afobazol, Atarax; alcohol tinctures of valerian, motherwort, Maryina root.

For severe attacks, a combination of drugs is used: Sirdalud 2 mg + Aspirin 500 mg or Analgin 250 mg + sedative.

The use of vitamin B complexes has proven itself. Vitamins B1, B6, B12 have a beneficial effect on the central nervous system and restore the structure of nerve tissue. Vitamin complexes are often prescribed: Neuromultivit, Milgamma, Neurovitan.

If attacks of pain recur more than 10 times a month, a course of treatment with Ibuprofen at a dose of 400 mg per day for 2-3 weeks and treatment with muscle relaxants is prescribed for 2-4 weeks.

There is no single scheme for pain relief. Depending on the cause, each patient needs an individual selection of drugs.

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Treatment of chronic disease

Sometimes cephalalgia becomes chronic. The pain occurs every day, continuously, with varying degrees of intensity.

Tricyclic antidepressants are prescribed for a long course of 2-6 months. They relieve pain and help normalize the psycho-vegetative state of the nervous system.

Amitriptyline 10-100 mg/s is most often prescribed, the dose is increased gradually. The drug relieves pain well, but has many negative side effects and is addictive.

As an alternative, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are prescribed: Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, Sertraline. The course of treatment is at least 2 months. These drugs have less toxicity.

In addition to prescribing drug therapy, the doctor will recommend massage, a course of physiotherapy or acupuncture.

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Treating ailments with improvised remedies at home

If a severe pain attack takes you by surprise, and there is no way to get help from a doctor, the following measures will help:

• Short sleep, head slightly raised;
• Rest in a relaxed position with pieces of ice wrapped in a scarf applied to your temples;
• Compress on the head, especially in the temple area, using the pulp of a lemon, grated;
• Light neck massage to relax the muscles;
• Warm sweet tea with lemon;
• Inhalation of essential oils of mint, lavender, lemon, basil, clove, sage, eucalyptus; you can drop a few drops on your forehead and temples;
• Warm (not hot) bath with an extract of soothing herbs or essential oils;
• Foot baths with a temperature of 40 degrees for 15 minutes.

Following a healthy lifestyle helps you get rid of tension pain forever without the help of medications:

1. Sound sleep of at least 7 hours with the window open. It is advisable to take an evening walk before going to bed.
2. Daily contrast shower strengthens blood vessels, making them more resistant to stress.
3. Maintaining water balance. It is recommended to drink at least 2 liters of fluid per day, not counting soups and drinks.
4. Proper balanced and vitamin-rich nutrition.
5. Drinking large portions of alcohol and smoking leads to vascular spasms.
6. Avoid physical and mental overload and stress.
7. While working at the computer, take breaks every hour; Exercises for the eyes and muscles of the cervical region are useful.
8. Regular moderate physical activity and an active lifestyle.