Having a good night’s rest is vital for your well-being. Sleep regulates and restores numerous body functions, such as memory, learning, and the immune system. Moreover, it affects many of your body’s organs, including your heart, lungs, and brain.
For this reason, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that your bad sleeping habits can adversely impact your systems and cause several mental and physical health problems. This includes migraines and other types of headaches. Read on to learn more about how your sleeping habits affect your migraines.
The link between sleep and migraines
Sleep problems are often associated with migraines. If you don’t get enough rest every day, you may experience more headaches that can feel worse over time.
Having too much sleep can also give you the same effect. Sleeping for longer than the recommended number of hours every night can trigger migraines like sleep deprivation.
- Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation takes place when you don’t have the opportunity to get enough sleep. Generally, the recommended length of sleep for each person every day is 7 to 9 hours. Constantly sleeping for less than 7 hours can increase your risk of migraines.
Studies have long established the link between sleeping problems and headache-related disorders, such as migraines, tension-type headaches, and hypnic headaches. If you consistently suffer from insufficient sleep, you’re more likely to experience more severe and frequent migraines.
Sleep deprivation and migraines are believed to share common brain mechanisms. For instance, the part of the brain that regulates sleep called the “hypothalamus” also contains neurons that modulate pain.
Although more research is needed to understand the relationship between sleep deprivation and migraines, experts have already reasonably concluded that lack of sleep every day can make your head hurt more. When your sleep-induced headaches are already affecting your daily activities, you should see a virtual doctor in Singapore right away.
- Too much sleep
Aside from having too little sleep, too much sleep also can trigger migraines. There is an adage that goes, “too much of everything is bad.” While a restful sleep can ease your migraine, sleeping too much can worsen your symptoms.
According to studies, sleeping for longer than the necessary hours can alter certain neurotransmitters in your brain, such as serotonin. This, along with the other changes in the chemicals of your brain, can ultimately result in severe and frequent headaches.
There is even a term for the type of migraines people often experience when oversleeping, called “weekend migraine.” It is often referred to as the migraines that may usually occur when you sleep excessively on weekends to compensate for your lost sleep during the week.
Ways to prevent future migraines
Since sleep and headaches are associated with each other, this suggests that you can minimise the severity and frequency of your migraine symptoms by having good sleeping habits.
According to health experts, adults should sleep between 7 to 9 hours each night for optimum health. This should also be coupled with healthy sleeping practices.
Here are some essential tips to help you develop and maintain a healthy sleep routine:
- Stick to a sleeping schedule
Sticking to a schedule can help you get the right amount of sleep every night. Try as much as possible to go to bed and wake up at around the same time every day.
Consistency with your sleeping schedule can help you avoid headaches that typically attack at night.
- Avoid consuming substances before bed
Certain substances, such as alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, can interfere with the quality and consistency of your sleep. Because of this, you should avoid consuming them, especially a few hours before bed.
To improve your sleep, you should instead consume healthy drinks, such as warm milk and herbal tea.
- Make your sleep as comfortable as possible
The feeling of comfort can ultimately affect your sleep quality. Before going to bed, relax by doing some calming activities, such as reading, listening to music, and meditating.
Ensure that your room is kept at a comfortable temperature and that your mattress provides plenty of support.
Conclusion
Your sleeping habits impact the severity and frequency of your migraines and other headache disorders. For this reason, getting the right amount of sleep should be one of your daily priorities.
Even if you have a busy schedule, you should never compromise your sleep quality and consistency. Doing so will only cause you more health problems in the future.
If you’ve already changed your bad sleeping habits, but your migraine symptoms are still worsening, there may be underlying reasons for your headaches other than your sleep routine. If you want to confirm your health status, it is best to seek professional advice via telemedicine in Singapore.
With the help of the MyCLNQ app, you can now quickly and conveniently consult a doctor online about your sleep problems and headaches at any time. Considered an established app for telehealth in the country, MyCLNQ will provide you with the medical-related services that you need all in one place.