Living with migraines can be a vicious cycle of stress, pain, and poor sleep. That’s not good, since lack of shuteye can make you up to eight times more likely to have one of these headaches. The good news is that you can find ways to get better rest — and keep the pain at bay.
Sleep problems and migraines often are linked. If you don’t get enough rest, or if you wake up often, you may have more headaches and they could hurt worse. Get more than 8 hours a night and it could have the same effect.
Treating your particular sleep problem may help your headaches. Ask your doctor what you can do. Some drugs have side effects that can make you drowsy; others make you hyper. If you use an over-the-counter sleep or pain reliever headache too often you could get what’s called a rebound headache — where the medicine dulls your pain for a while, but the migraine comes right back when it wears off.
You may have fewer or less painful migraines if you eat, drink, sleep, and wake up at the same time every day. Stay on schedule as much as possible. If you drink coffee or sodas with caffeine, drink the same amount each day or avoid them altogether.
You can try prescription or over-the-counter drugs to help with your sleep problems. Alternative treatments like cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques, yoga, or supplements may help ease migraines as well as any stress that might also be keeping you awake.
Caffeine might help you treat your migraines, but it can also keep you awake. Some migraine medicines contain caffeine. Keep your intake the same each day, even if you don’t have any at all.
Better treatments for migraines and sleep problems could be on the way. Researchers are working on drugs that might keep the number of headaches down. And they’re looking into a gene linked to poor sleep and migraines in some people.
If you don’t sleep well or long enough, you may try to nap during the day to make up for it. But that can make it harder to sleep at night — and trigger more headaches. If you have to nap, do it before 3 p.m. and limit it to 30 minutes.
Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. You can control some things that may keep you from falling or staying asleep.
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