According to WHO, in 2016, half to three-quarters of adults aged 18–65 years worldwide have had a headache at least once. Unfortunately, when compared to the general population, headache sufferers are 2 to 8 times more likely to suffer from sleep problems.

What causes a headache?

A headache is defined as pain in the head or face, which may also involve pain in the upper neck. The skin, bone, and structures in the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are all pain-sensitive structures in the head and face. Furthermore, the major blood vessels of the brain are extremely sensitive, and they are the main organs that cause pain in vascular headaches like migraines.

The teeth and the hinge of the jaw can also cause a headache. However, the brain is not sensitive to pain and is not a source of headaches.

The main causes of headache include:

• having a cold or the flu
• stress
• drinking too much alcohol
• bad posture
• eyesight problems
• not eating regular meals
• not drinking enough fluids (dehydration)

There are loads of different forms of headaches. Primary and secondary headaches are the key two types of headaches.

Primary headaches

These headaches are ones that are not caused by a concurrent medical condition. The category includes:

• cluster headaches.
• migraine
• tension headaches.

Secondary headaches

These headaches can be caused by a range of medical conditions, including:

• a head injury.
• high blood pressure (hypertension).
• a tumour.

How should you treat a headache?

You may relieve the pain of a headache without going to the doctor by doing a few easy things. The NHS recommends to:

• drink plenty of water
• get plenty of rest if you have a cold or the flu
• try to relax – stress can make headaches worse
• take paracetamol or ibuprofen

You could also try:

Use a heating pad or hot compress – You can apply a warm towel to the sore spot. A warm shower may also be effective.

A cold pack – On your forehead, you may apply a cold pack for 15 minutes. After that, take a 15-minute pause after applying the compress to your head.

Ease pressure on your scalp or head – Hats, headbands, and even swimming goggles that are too tight can trigger headaches for certain people. The strain can be relieved by either removing or loosening them, as a result.

Dim the lights – Headaches can be caused by bright or flashing lights, even from your electronic devices. Cover your windows with blackout curtains throughout the day if you’re susceptible to them. Wear sunglasses outside and turn down the brightness on your electronic devices.

How does a headache prevent you from sleeping?

The majority of people who suffer from headaches also have sleep issues, such as difficulty sleeping or staying asleep. Sometimes your sleep issues are caused by headaches. When headaches keep you up at night, they might cause other issues the next day, such as grogginess and irritation. However, there is evidence that too little or too much sleep might cause headaches.

A common area of the brain is responsible for controlling sleep, mood, and even headaches. Therefore, it’s no accident that sleep difficulties can induce headaches because they all employ identical chemical brain signals. Depriving yourself of sleep might also reduce your pain tolerance. Your pain threshold has increased, and a headache episode is no exception. This can create an ongoing cycle of repetitive headaches and sleeping problems.

5 tips to help you sleep with a headache

1. Turn off electronics before bed

The light from televisions, smartphones, and tablets disrupts the circadian rhythm (your body’s natural sleep-wake routine) and wakes up the brain, making it harder to fall asleep. Turn off all electronic gadgets one hour before going to bed.

2. Practice a relaxation technique

Regular exercise, deep breathing, and mindfulness can help you develop relaxation abilities. This is a fantastic way to calm an overloaded mind and alleviate headaches.

If you’re a company, team or organisation that prides itself in promoting good mental and physical health for your employees, click here for more information about our Monday morning motivation webinar. You could also learn useful mindfulness techniques to use to help you sleep with a headache.

3. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and meals too close to bedtime

Before going to bed, it’s a good idea to keep track of everything you eat and drink. Large meals, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, among other things, can disrupt sleep. Specifically, caffeine and alcohol constrict the blood arteries in the brain. Your blood vessels enlarge without it.

A headache or other withdrawal symptoms might arise from the increased blood flow. Whereas, nicotine can again cause blood vessels in the body to constrict, resulting in a decrease in blood flow to the brain. This results in a headache and, in many cases, a lack of sleep.

4. Sleep on your back or side, not on your front

Since your back is arched when sleeping on your front, this may induce headaches. If you suffer from headaches, make sure you sleep on your back or side, which is ideal for spine alignment. Also, curling up in a ball in the fetal position may feel instinctive, but it pulls your shoulders forward, which can create a lot of stress in your neck.

You may expect a nasty headache in the morning after your neck tenses and locks. Placing your arm above your head can also impair blood flow by cutting off circulation and putting pressure on your nerves.

5. Get a Deep Tissue/Sports Massage

A muscle that is involuntarily contracted, tight, and painful and can contribute to headaches.

Deep tissue or sports massage consists of sessions where a therapist will find and release their client’s muscular tension and tightness. This is accomplished by applying different amounts of pressure on muscle knots and then extending the afflicted areas over their full range of motion.

Teeth grinding, for example, can cause muscular tension to form around the jaw, which can result in headaches. People suffering from headaches may benefit greatly from a deep tissue or sports massage.

Patients with headaches are nearly twice as likely to have postural irregularities, such as head-forward posture and tightness in the back of the neck, according to studies. For this reason, a  qualified therapist would offer a massage of the neck and shoulders in headaches (to relax the neck and shoulder muscles) simultaneously focusing on reducing the muscular tension.

The post How To Sleep With A Headache appeared first on Loving Life.

Well, you are not alone! According to Aviva, as many as 16 million UK adults are suffering from sleepless nights. Also, a third (31%) say they have insomnia and almost half (48%) agree they don’t get the right amount of sleep.

The obvious solution to appear and feel less tired is to have a decent amount of sleep (7 hours and above). But we know that can be difficult for some. Therefore, this article will contain tips to help you feel more refreshed when you wake up in the morning and help you look and feel less tired!

So, why are you tired?

Psychological causes

• Stress
• A bereavement
• Depression
• Anxiety

Intense worry, grief, or fear make it difficult to fall and remain asleep during the night. Though after falling asleep, people may awaken in the middle of the night with these intense emotions. Settling back to sleep might be tough once their thoughts begin to race with worry, sadness, or fear. This could result in sleep fragmentation, which reduces both the quantity and quality of sleep. Sleep deprivation can also exacerbate these psychological causes, triggering a vicious cycle including insomnia and mental health issues.

Physical causes

• pregnancy – particularly in the first 12 weeks
• being overweight or obese – your body has to work harder to do everyday activities
• being underweight – poor muscle strength can make you tire more easily

Pregnancy can cause physical discomfort, hormonal changes, and the thrill and worry of being a new mother all contribute to a slew of sleep issues. Pregnant mothers may have back pain and difficulty finding a comfortable position to support the increasing baby bulge as time passes, especially when the baby begins to kick at night. According to the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, at least half of pregnant women suffer from insomnia.

Obesity, according to researchers, may alter metabolism and/or sleep-wake cycles in such a manner that sleep hygiene declines. It’s also conceivable that the physical impacts of carrying the excess itself can have an influence on the quality of sleep.

A lack of muscle strength can lead to poor sleep quality and short sleep duration. Sleep is important for muscle mass and when there is a lack of sleep the cycle continues. As a basic guideline, a balanced diet consisting mostly of a range of vegetables and fruits can supply the required daily consumption of vitamins and minerals. This will improve sleep and provide a healthy weight.

Lifestyle causes

• Excessive alcohol intake
• A lack of exercise
• Excessive caffeine

Alcohol contains sedative properties that can make you feel sleepy and relaxed. However, it has also been related to poor sleep quality and duration, especially when consumed in excess. Insomnia is a typical symptom of those who have alcohol use disorders. Sleepers who consume significant amounts of alcohol before going to bed are more likely to experience delayed sleep onset. This means they take longer to fall asleep. These people are more prone to have sleep disturbances when their liver enzymes metabolize the alcohol over the night and their blood alcohol level drops.

An exhausted person may not feel able to exercise, and a lack of exercise might lead to even more weariness. Deconditioning can occur as a result of a lack of exercise, making physical tasks more difficult and exhausting.

Caffeine has been shown to affect the beginning of sleep as well as sleep time, efficiency, and contentment. It shortens the time spent in slow-wave sleep, a deep, restorative stage of sleep that leaves us feeling refreshed and alert in the morning. Caffeine-interrupted sleep can cause sleep deprivation the next day, resulting in tiredness and difficulties with learning, memory, problem-solving, and emotional control.

So here are 5 tips to help you look and feel less tired

Set a strict bedtime schedule

Your brain begins to wind down for sleep a few hours before bedtime as part of your natural sleep-wake cycle. You can improve the effectiveness of this technique by including it into your night routine. First, pick a bedtime and a wake-up time that you can keep to every day. When you stick to a consistent sleep schedule, your brain learns to feel sleepy when it’s time to go to bed.

Next, choose a time each night to begin your sleep ritual, anything from 30 minutes to 2 hours before bedtime. If necessary, set an alarm. Also, if you have an iPhone, you could use the ‘Bedtime app’ to track your sleeping schedule.

Limit the intake of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine

You should limit the amount of alcohol and caffeine that you intake and avoid it for at least 4 hours before going to sleep.

You may think that having a cigarette before bed or in the middle of the night relaxes you, but this is not the case. Nicotine is a stimulant and makes it harder to fall asleep and to stay asleep. Cigarettes should ideally be avoided altogether, and certainly for at least 2 hours before bed.

Drink water

Staying well-hydrated is critical to our optimum health and survival. People who are severely dehydrated typically feel exceedingly sleepy, sluggish, or fatigued. Other dehydration symptoms, such as headaches, dry mouth and nasal passages, and muscular pains, also make it difficult to sleep properly.

Water should be sipped regularly throughout the day scheduling a reminder if you have a hard time remembering to drink water. You could also use a water bottle to have a drink easily accessible and to track how much water you’ve consumed. However, you should reduce water consumption an hour or two before bed. This is because taking in large quantities of any beverage in the lead-up to bedtime can cause frequent urination at night.

Exercise regularly

Exercising improves sleep for many people. Specifically, moderate-to-vigorous exercise can increase sleep quality for adults. It can reduce their sleep onset and decrease the amount of time they lie awake in bed during the night. Additionally, physical activity can help alleviate daytime sleepiness and, for some people, reduce the need for sleep medications.

If you are an employer looking to liven up your employees to boost their motivation and productivity, you can now enquire about Loving Life’s tailored online energy sessions.

Reduce stress

Healthy coping strategies that reduce emotional avoidance include meditation and simple breathing exercises. This can reduce stress and tension in the body, lower stress hormone levels, and help sleep come more easily. Problem-solving can also be a way to reduce stress. However, it can be stimulating and should be done earlier in the day rather than before bed.

If you are an employer and want to teach your employees how to cope with stress, you can now enquire about Loving Life’s coping with stress webinar.

The post 5 Tips To Look And Feel Less Tired appeared first on Loving Life.