Can You Get a Headache From Lack of Sleep?

Sleep is essential for your health and well-being, and too little can cause a number of health issues including headaches. Why you can get a headache from lack of sleep is not fully understood, but it’s clear that there is a connection between pain in your head, face, or upper neck and fatigue.

Since sleep deprivation prevents the body from repairing and restoring itself, your immune, circulatory, and hormonal systems are affected when you get too little shut-eye. This disruption may be part of the reason for your headache.

This article provides an overview of the link between headaches and lack of sleep and offers tips on potential treatment options.

The Link Between Headaches and Lack of Sleep

While research shows a link between certain types of headaches and not getting enough sleep, this relationship is complex and not fully understood. However, these types of headaches likely stem from a disruption in the balance between sleep and wakefulness in the body.

Changes that throw off your sleep-wake pattern (circadian rhythms) can lead to headaches, such as:

Lack of sleep can lead to adverse health effects and can make it more difficult for various functions in the body to restore properly.

Mechanisms involved in the sleep cycle regulation are thought to play a role in headaches, including:

• Chemical messengers like serotonin (a chemical that contributes to wakefulness)
• The glymphatic system (mechanism responsible for clearing waste products from the brain)
• Brain structures like the brain stem and hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is in charge of homeostasis, the regulation or balance of body functions such as body temperature, hunger, heart rate, and sleep-wake cycles. Research shows that when problems with the hypothalamus cause sleep disturbances, it can lead to primary headaches disorders, including migraines and tension headaches.

Types of Sleep Deprivation Headaches

Several different types of headaches are linked to lack of sleep or sleep disturbances, including migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, and hypnic headaches.

Migraines

A migraine is not just a “bad headache.” It’s a specific type of headache that’s considered to be a neurological condition because of how it affects the brain.

Chronic migraines severely impact daily life and functioning, causing symptoms like:

• Extreme pain on one side of the head
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Visual disturbances
• Sound sensitivity
• Dizziness

Researchers are still studying the complex relationship between migraines and sleep. Current research shows that:

• Both lack of sleep and too much sleep are common migraine triggers.
• People who suffer from migraines are up to eight times more likely to have a sleep disorder than the general population.
• Sleep disturbances may contribute to the jump from episodic migraine (fewer than 15 migraines per month) to chronic migraine (15 or more migraines per month) in some people.

Tension Headaches

This common type of headache is generally described as a dull tightening or pressure on both sides of the head. Tension headaches may start at the forehead and circle around to the back of the head.

Studies have found that a lack of sleep can trigger tension headaches. Experts think that the hypothalamus (part of the brain that helps control and regulate hormones) likely plays a role, in addition to brain signals that may reduce the body’s pain threshold and prompt a tension headache.

Other research notes that a cycle of napping after an episode of insomnia can continually trigger a tension headache the following day.

Cluster Headaches and Hypnic Headaches

Rarer headaches that tend to happen at night are also connected to a lack of sleep, such as:

• Cluster headache: These extremely painful headaches usually occur in the evening or early morning hours, prompting severe head pain around the eye area. They’re often shorter in duration than other types of headaches (lasting five minutes to two hours). Experts theorize that transitioning out of the rapid eye movement (REM) dream state of sleep may play a role in triggering cluster headache attacks.
• Hypnic headache: Sometimes referred to as an “alarm clock” headache, hypnic headaches awaken the person and strike around the same time at night. Also shorter in duration, researchers think the cause may be linked to a disturbance with the body’s production of melatonin (the hormone that makes you feel tired).

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

While seven to nine hours of sleep is normal for most adults, the ideal amount of sleep varies by person. Some people may require more, while others may require less, and sleep needs can change throughout our lives.

To determine how much sleep you need, try testing it out by going to bed when you’re tired and sleeping straight through until you naturally wake up. While this isn’t always possible for people with children, work schedules, pets, and other obligations, if you can set aside a few nights, you’ll likely find the average length of time your body prefers to sleep.

Treatment

Treatment options for headaches related to a lack of sleep will depend on the underlying cause.

Before creating a treatment plan, a healthcare provider may ask you to consider keeping a headache and sleep journal to record:

• The amount of sleep you get
• The quality of your sleep
• The number of headache days per month
• Any other symptoms you notice on headache days

In addition to speaking with you about getting enough quality sleep, if it’s determined you’re suffering from migraine or tension headaches, your healthcare provider may also recommend more specific treatments. These options may include:

• Staying hydrated
• Using an ice pack
• Lying down in a quiet, dark room
• Taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications for mild pain
• Prescription medications to abort a migraine, control migraine pain, or prevent the number of migraine days per month

Prevention

To help prevent headaches due to a lack of sleep, your healthcare provider may recommend some lifestyle changes to address your sleep habits. If there are no other underlying medical causes, getting enough restful sleep on a regular basis may help reduce these headaches.

Some potential prevention tips include:

• Going to bed and waking up around the same time each day
• Keeping your bedroom dark, quiet, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature
• Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, or large meals close to bedtime
• Getting more exercise during the day (but not close to bedtime)
• Keeping electronic devices out of the bedroom

Summary

Not getting enough sleep can throw off your body’s sleep-wake pattern and lead to headaches. If this happens frequently, keeping a headache/sleep journal and improving your sleep habits may be good first steps. See a healthcare provider to rule out a sleep disorder, chronic migraine, or another underlying health condition, and talk through treatment options that will work best for you.