Occasional headaches are normal, but frequent and severe headaches often suggest something is going wrong, and could be related to the quality of sleep you are getting. For those who deal with sleep apnea, painful headaches can be a reality. Studies have should that 10-15% of those with obstructive sleep apnea deal with headaches1. In terms of the general population, these types of headaches are estimated to affect 1-2% of people, and more specifically, 2-8% of the middle aged population2.
Multiple studies have correlated the prevalence of sleep apnea with cluster headaches, migraines, and chronic daily headaches, which tend to occur in the mornings3. Cluster headaches are very common, and researchers have found that approximately 80% of those with sleep apnea suffer from cluster headaches. These tend to come in groups and be quite intense in nature. Other sleep-related headaches often occur above the eyebrows, present a dull pain, last a couple hours after waking up from sleep, and can occur daily4.
Scientists make sense of the relationships between sleep and headaches by considering the crucial role that proper sleep plays in an individual’s overall wellness. Poor sleep is noted to increase the odds for headache and mood change as the brain needs ample time to rest and restore in the night for proper functioning during the day. An ideal amount of sleep also decreases pain intensity and increases mood, so if you are suffering from a headache, a lack of sleep will make it even worse5.
Studies have shown that getting a proper amount of sleep helps substantially with sleep apnea headaches. In particular, those who were given solutions that opened their airways to increase their ability to breathe properly throughout the night saw improvements in headaches as they awoke by 80% compared to those who recorded minimal improvement6.
Although our mouthpiece has not been tested in a scientific setting in terms of its correlation to reducing headaches, it is a proven anti-snoring device that may help reduce the cause of obstruction-related headaches.
As always, check with your doctor to see if this is recommended for your situation.
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References
1 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1586/14737175.2013.840422?journalCode=iern20
3 https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/104/12/1087/1544801
4http://www.mysleepapneamd.com/blog/headaches-can-caused-sleep-apnea-curing-sleep-apnea-headaches
5https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/sleep/
6https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1105630
source https://goodmorningsnoresolution.com/blogs/news/are-your-headaches-caused-by-sleep-apnea
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