Causes of Headache When Lying Down and Its Treatments

A headache is pain commonly experienced anywhere in the region of the head, scalp or neck. It can be a symptom of any number of underlying conditions involving the said body parts. There are many types and categories of a headache as agreed by the International Headache Society and tension headaches are by far the most common type, usually stemming from stress, lack of sleep, alcohol, anxiety and even depression.

However, if a headache occurs only when lying down, it is possibly caused by something else entirely.

There are a significant number of people experiencing headache when lying down and mostly the cause can be a number of conditions that need immediate treatment to alleviate the head pain.

Headache When Lying Down Causes

Headache when lying down is not as common but not as rare as an occurrence as well. Mostly it is caused by underlying conditions and can be any of the following:

• Sinus Headache: It is a common condition where headache is experienced when lying down. It results to the inflammation within the nasal passage associated with sinusitis. The lying down leads to a buildup of mucus triggering pain and pressure around the forehead.

• Cluster Headache: It is a type of headache not yet well understood as compared to other headaches and is thought to be associated with the release of neurotransmitters in the body. They are sharp and very painful headaches that tend to occur for several days. Most of the time cluster headaches develop about 2 to 3 hours after falling asleep.

• Stroke: A sudden headache when lying down can be an indicative of a stroke. Headache is typically a symptom caused by hemorrhage in the brain.

Headache When Lying Down Treatment

Treatment of a headache generally involves treating the cause of the headache per se. For example:

• With sinus headaches, treating the cause of the sinusitis will help minimize associated pain. This will often entail antibiotics, corticosteroids as prescribed by the doctor. Over-the-counter medications like decongestants and pain relievers are also used.

• For cluster headaches, there is no current cure for this condition. Treatment would usually involve medications that would help minimize the severity and frequency of the head pain and are mostly prescribed by a physician.

• Stroke, on the other hand, is a condition where a medical intervention is necessary to control the bleeding inside the brain