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Have you ever experienced a headache after oversleeping?
While sleep helps relieve fatigue, getting more sleep than necessary, or "oversleeping," can actually put a strain on your body and lead to physical discomfort.
This article explains the types and causes of headaches caused by oversleeping, and also provides remedies and preventive measures.
Types and Causes of Headaches When You Oversleep
Headaches caused by oversleeping are mainly of two types: migraines and tension headaches.
Although the exact cause of migraines is not fully understood, it is believed to be due to the expansion of blood vessels caused by prolonged sleep.
In contrast, tension headaches are primarily caused by muscle tension resulting from sleeping in the same position for extended periods.
Migraine
Migraines are mainly characterized by a throbbing pain that pulsates from behind the eyes to the temples, or across the entire head. Other characteristics include pain that worsens when moving the head forward, backward, left, or right, and increased sensitivity to light, sound, and smell. Some individuals may also experience nausea.
During sleep, the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for recovery and repair, becomes dominant, and blood vessels in the brain expand. Migraines caused by oversleeping are thought to occur because prolonged sleep causes brain blood vessels to expand excessively, stretching the surrounding nerves.
Tension Headache
Tension headaches are mainly characterized by a constricting pain at the back of the head or across the entire head. The pain tends to increase over time, and may be accompanied by neck and shoulder stiffness, as well as mild dizziness.
Tension headaches are caused by poor blood circulation due to muscle tension.
Sleeping in the same position for a long time or sleeping in an awkward posture can lead to muscle tension and poor blood flow. This causes blood vessels in the muscles to constrict, stimulating nerves and resulting in a constricting pain.
How to Treat Headaches When You Oversleep
The cause of headaches from oversleeping differs depending on whether it's a migraine (blood vessel dilation) or a tension headache (poor blood circulation due to muscle tension), and thus the treatments also differ. Let's look at how to deal with each type.
For migraines, "cool down."
To relieve migraines caused by blood vessel dilation, cooling is effective.
Since pain intensifies when body temperature rises and blood flow improves, cool the throbbing area or the back of your neck. Specifically, it's a good idea to cool the "bon no kubo," the central hollow at the nape of the neck, with an ice pack or cooling sheet.
If you are sensitive to light or sound, which are triggers, try to rest in a dark and quiet place.
Also, because caffeine has a vasoconstrictive effect, drinking coffee or tea when you wake up may help reduce the pain. However, be careful not to drink too much, as it could have the opposite effect.
For tension headaches, "warm up."
To relieve tension headaches caused by poor circulation, warming the body to improve blood flow is effective. Warm your eyes, shoulders, and neck, or take a bath to warm your entire body. Additionally, light exercise, stretching, or massage can relax muscles and alleviate pain.
Furthermore, chronic poor posture can worsen blood circulation, so try to maintain good posture in your daily life.
What Causes Oversleeping in the First Place?
A state of insufficient sleep is called "sleep debt." When sleep debt accumulates, people tend to sleep for longer periods on weekends to compensate for the lack of sleep. Since sleep debt is related not only to the duration but also the quality of sleep, it is important to get enough good quality sleep regularly.
How to Prevent Headaches from Oversleeping
To resolve sleep debt and prevent headaches from oversleeping, there are three main methods:
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule
- Take a nap of 30 minutes or less
- Warm your body before bed
Maintain a regular daily rhythm
It is difficult to resolve accumulated sleep debt over a long period by sleeping for extended hours, or "catching up on sleep." Additionally, getting more sleep than necessary can put a strain on your body.
To prevent both insufficient and excessive sleep, it's important to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day to regulate your daily rhythm. If you get enough sleep regularly, you won't need to sleep for long periods on your days off, which can prevent headaches caused by oversleeping.
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Take a nap of 30 minutes or less
If you're busy with work and can't get enough sleep on weekdays, a short nap is recommended. Keeping it under 15-30 minutes can help prevent headaches from oversleeping. Make sure to finish your nap by 3 PM so it doesn't affect your ability to fall asleep at night.
Warm your body before going to bed
To improve sleep quality, it's recommended to drink a warm beverage, such as hot milk, 1 to 2 hours before bedtime. Drinking warm beverages activates the parasympathetic nervous system, putting the body in a relaxed state.
Also, since people tend to feel sleepy when their body temperature drops, raising your body temperature with a warm drink prepares you for sleep naturally.
However, caffeine has a stimulating effect on the brain, so avoid coffee, tea, and other caffeinated drinks at least four hours before bedtime.
Is a Headache a Sign of a Hidden Illness?
If you're getting enough sleep but still oversleeping, and oversleeping causes headaches, underlying medical conditions might be the cause:
- Idiopathic hypersomnia
- Depression
- Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS)
- Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
Do not attempt to diagnose these conditions yourself; instead, consult a clinic such as a neurology department, psychiatry, or sleep clinic.
The following related article details the causes of oversleeping and the possibility of illness. Please take a look.
What causes oversleeping? Is it an illness? Find solutions and improve your sleep.
Get Better Sleep and Resolve Oversleeping Headaches! Check Out Recommended Items
Even with the same amount of sleep, improving sleep quality can enhance fatigue recovery and daily performance. To improve sleep quality, it's important to choose bedding that suits you, such as mattresses and pillows.
Brain Sleep has developed various products to support sleep based on medical insights.
We offer a wide range of items that contribute to a good night's sleep, such as the "Brain Sleep Pillow" which conforms to your head size and sleeping posture as you sleep, and the "Brain Sleep Mattress Premium Float" which replicates the posture with the least burden on the body as proposed by NASA. Please use them to help you choose your ideal bedding.
Understand Headaches from Oversleeping and Enjoy a Comfortable Everyday Life
This article introduced the types and causes of headaches that occur from oversleeping.
Since the remedies are opposite for migraines (cooling) and tension headaches (warming), it's important to accurately determine which type of headache you have before treating it. Furthermore, to prevent oversleeping, it's crucial to consistently get enough quality sleep.
Why not re-evaluate your current bedding and aim to improve your sleep quality?
