Morning headaches: overview and ache types
Most people who have experienced the uncomfortable symptoms of a headache know how challenging it can be to carry on with your regular routine. Waking up with a headache can make it especially hard for you to get on with your day.
There are a few different types of morning headaches, each with their own symptoms:
- Tension headaches are caused by tight, contracted muscles around the head, neck, face, or shoulders. Both physical and emotional factors can influence muscle tension.
- Cluster headaches are especially painful and can occur in the middle of the night. You may feel pain behind one of your eyes or to one side of your head.
Unilateral headaches are when pain is on one side of the head, while bilateral headaches cause pain on both sides of the head. Morning headaches may also cause you to experience sensitivity to light (photophobia) or sound (phonophobia), which can aggravate your headache symptoms.