How To Sleep With A Headache: 5 Relief Tips

When looking for a “headache chiropractor near me” are you looking for some magic pill or do you really want to find the cause and reason for your headache issue?  Chiropractic care might not be a quick and easy fix.  However, it is a long term fix.  Meaning they will find the root cause and work toward a goal to help alleviate that cause. 

When we sleep we don’t always know how our bodies are laying.  Many people wake up and are in a completely different position than when they started.  This can make it seem impossible to get relief from the headaches caused by your sleep. 

However, each time you wake up, adjust yourself to a better position.  This will help your mind remember that is how you would like to sleep. 

Quite often those that sleep on their stomachs will have issues with headaches.  Because of this, they find themselves searching “headache chiropractor near me” to find out what to do.  The best sleeping positions for headaches is laying on your back or side with the proper pillow support. 

Side sleeping isn’t good either if you don’t have the proper side pillow support.  And, if you are sleeping on your back, you should not need a pillow at all.  However, many of us find sleeping on our backs very uncomfortable.  This is because many of us suffer from what is called text neck.

Avoid poor posture

Text neck is where the person’s spine is changing shape due to looking down too much.  This could be because of a tablet, phone, or another device. 

Having a bad set up at work and having your computer or laptop in a position that you are looking down all the time isn’t good either.  One shouldn’t be using a laptop only for work all the time as this can cause a lot of poor positioning, which leads to poor posture.

This poor posture is the root cause of the weakening of the spine.  This makes the spine start to lose its proper shape and starts to cause you headaches.  If you cannot stand to sleep on your back for any length of time due to arms going numb or your back starting to ache, it is time that you find out if you have text neck and what to do about it. 

Sleeping on your back is the very best position for helping with headaches.  However, sleeping on your side is okay too as long as you have proper support for your neck.  Without this support, you will quickly notice tension in your neck that could actually cause headaches. 

While we have provided some tips on why you might be getting headaches while sleeping and what some of the best sleeping positions for headaches are.  Let’s dive into seeing what we can find out about trying to sleep with a headache.

1-Self Massage

If you find yourself with a headache at night and need to get back to sleep, sometimes a self-massage is in order.  This means that you can massage your temples and shoulders to try to relieve some of the tension that is built up. 

Try yawning, this is done by just thinking about yawning for a few minutes, and soon you will be yawning, especially if you’re tired.  This helps stretch out the facial muscles.  Massage over the top of your ear to behind your ear trying to work out the tension you have build up there. 

Take the time to massage around your eyebrows too.  If this seems to help a little, maybe make this a part of your bedtime routine to help not wake up with these sorts of headaches.

2-Hot and Cold Compresses

Hot and cold compresses can really help you work the tension of muscles out.  Using cold for only 10 minutes at a time, hold it to your forehead with a piece of cloth between you and the ice pack.  Sometimes it feels better to place it at the base of your neck and shoulders.  Put the cold where it feels best in this case.  Listen to your body.

For the hot portion, you can buy heating pads from most drugstore like places.  These come in a variety of ways from electrical heating pads, water heating pads, and rice pads. 

The rice pads are something that also can hold moisture which helps the body accept the heat.  To make a rice pad, simply use a small pillow case and fill 2/3 with rice.  Sew the other end.  These are great for a variety of things and can be used over and over again. Alternate heat and cold to help work out the knots in your muscles.

3-Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a wonderful way to help you relax at night.  It is a great way to get your sinuses opened up as well as reduce the tension in headaches. 

Aromatherapy comes in a variety of scents, so you may have to try different ones to see what works for you.  Remember, the smells of essential oils goes a long way, so give it some time and don’t go too overpowering.

4-Hydration

Be sure to stay hydrated during the day.  It is easy for us to get dehydrated, especially if we work long hours.   Drink plenty of water throughout the day.  Dehydration can actually occur at any time, summer or winter.  The temperatures in the summertime tend to dry us out more.  However, in the winter the air is so dry that our moisture can evaporate then too.

Dehydration can cause headaches and thus lack of sleep.  Before bed be sure to drink some water to help avoid getting a headache while sleeping.  Should you wake up with one, drink a large glass of water and give it some time to see if it gets better.

5-Get enough Sleep

Having your body on a sleep schedule that allows you to get enough sleep is important in avoiding nighttime headaches.  If your body knows when it is supposed to sleep it will do better.  So, try to have a normal nighttime routine that makes sense.