Sleeping too much or too little can cause a headache. if you’re not getting enough rest, that can deprive your body of the healing and refreshing that it needs. Your brain might not be getting enough rest, making it difficult for you to function properly. Your brain may be crying out for sleep by using a headache to get your attention.
If you oversleep, this can cause a headache as well, and a headache from oversleeping is probably due to changes in your serotonin levels. As your sleep schedule is disturbed and you sleep more than you should, your body will be thrown out of whack. Your body might not be operating the way it should after sleeping too much, and this can result in a headache.
How to get rid of a sleep headache? The method you should use will depend on whether you overslept or under-slept. Let’s talk about some headache remedies related to sleeping you can use to sleep better and feel better.
How to Get Rid of a Headache when You Cannot Sleep
If you have a severe headache, it can be very tough to get any rest. A simple solution may be to take a pain reliever like ibuprofen, but you might not want to do that right before bed. That’s because ibuprofen should only be taken when you have some food in your stomach. If it’s been a while since you ate, you may need to eat some food before you take the ibuprofen. If you’re health conscious, you might be concerned about eating right before bed. However, you only need to eat something small so that the ibuprofen doesn’t create any health complications for you.
Simply lying down and closing your eyes can help to get rid of the headache. You’ll make it worse if you look at a screen, thought. Even if you’re lying down with the lights off, you won’t be doing your head any favors by looking at a screen when you have a headache.
It may help to get a little fresh air in the house as well. You can open up a window in your bedroom and allow some breeze in. Sometimes just getting rid of the stuffiness in your room can help with the headache.
If your headache is caused by tension, anxiety, or stress, then listening to some relaxing music can be helpful. Meditation, prayer, and other relaxing activities can help to destress you. Make sure you don’t do anything that increases your stress as you prepare for bed. Here are a few things to avoid that could trigger stress and make your headache worse:
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Smoking
- Loud noises
- Bright lights
Also try to stay away from whatever caused you stress in the first place. That may be another person, and you may need to have some space to yourself if it’s someone you live with. Sleeping separately for the night can help you to destress and prevent further stress triggers.
These methods for how to get rid of a headache before sleep work for most people, but they are not the only things you can try. You may want to have a hot beverage, like some tea. It’s not advisable to drink anything with caffeine, a lot of sugar, or milk, as all of these can keep you awake and alert or cause digestive issues that could prevent you from sleeping.
How to Get Rid of a Headache after too Much Sleep
If you overslept and you have a headache, you will be dealing with a different kind of headache than one from not sleeping enough. The good news is that you can use a pain reliever along with some food and get yourself back on track without any issue.
There are some other things you can do, though, that don’t necessitate medication. You may want to try drinking some water, as your headache could be a result of dehydration. If you slept too long, then you may be thirsty when you wake up. Your body might not have had any water for a long time, so rehydrating can help. This is also true of people who take naps during the day and wake up with a headache. Rehydration can make a huge difference and get rid of the headache in many cases.
You could also try stretching gently or walking around. Just moving and getting some fresh air and getting your blood pumping can help to send the headache packing. Take your time doing this treatment method and don’t push yourself too hard. Go slowly to see if the headache gets better or worse. In some cases, any kind of physical activity, even light activity, can make your headache worse, so be careful.
Your headache could be the result of tense muscles or another muscle-related issue. You can try breathing exercises to help relax your muscles. Any kind of relaxation technique could prove useful for dealing with an oversleeping headache. Drinking some hot tea or coffee can help as well. Be careful about how much coffee you drink, though, as it could actually make your headache worse.
A hot compress applied to your head can help as well. You can use something as simple as a washcloth soaked in hot water pressed up against your head. You can use the same remedy if you’re trying to fall asleep and you have a headache. Just make sure that you squeeze out the cloth so that you’re not leaving a wet spot on the bed.
How to Prevent Headaches
If you get headaches from not sleeping enough or from sleeping too much, you probably need to change up your sleep schedule. Getting a regular sleep routine will help, like trying to go to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time for most of the week. Once your body gets into a routine for sleep, that can help regulate your serotonin levels and get your body accustomed to a specific sleep time. You’re more likely to get restful sleep and to fall asleep quickly when you have a regular sleep schedule. This means you’re less likely to under or oversleep.
You should also make sure you’re getting enough sleep each day. Most people need anywhere from 6-9 hours of sleep a night. How much sleep you need will depend on how old you are, whether you’re going through a growth spurt, your level of physical activity, and other factors.
To help make sure you’re getting to sleep quickly and sleeping soundly, you want to turn off anything that could keep you awake during the night or keep you from falling asleep quickly. This includes any lights or anything that makes sounds. You should also turn off screens and completely shut down anything that may notify you of messages during the night. You can put your phone on silent, and most phones have a setting where the only noise it makes is when the alarm goes off. This can be very helpful if you’re trying to sleep and don’t want to be awakened by notifications but you do want to wake up at a specific time.
Also try to avoid any exertion or anything exciting shortly before bed. Try to eliminate caffeine from your schedule for up to five hours before you go to sleep. This will help you fall asleep faster and ensure more restful sleep.
Once you make these kinds of changes, you should be able to enjoy your sleep more and be less likely to wake up with a headache. If you tried some of these simple changes and you still have recurring headaches, you should talk to a doctor about the problem. There may be an underlying health issue that needs to be identified and treated so that you stop having headaches.
