Doctors, Wife has chronic morning headaches

[scottmandue]

I have been with my wife for about four years.

Long story short, most morning she rolls out of bed... makes my lunch while I shower, she feeds the cats, then rolls back into bed with "a pounding headache" (and this has been going on long before we got together).
She drinks very little or no alcohol (a few times a month).
Very little caffeine (tea or soda a few times a week).
We eat fairly healthy.
And she is a busy little workaholic, she can't sit still for five minutes (unlike her husband) she is constantly cleaning, gardening, repairing, knitting, etc. so she is not using this as an excuse to go back to bed.

When she complains to the doctor they just tell her to take over the counter pain meds.

Problem is this is five or six days a week that she has the headaches, we are in our 50's, and we worry about the health risk of taking that many pain meds.

Any ideas or suggestions?

[RonDent]

Do her legs hurt as well? Does she snore?

[Don Ro]

Interesting.
My fiance has the same headache/nasal congestion when she awakens.
She also has sore legs (calves)...and she snores (rather cute, though).

[widgeon13]

Would appear she is no getting adequate o2 while she is sleeping. I'm no doc but that has to be very bothersome for her and you as well to know she is not feeling well.

Has she seen a sleep specialist? Try a different pillow, foam not feathers possibly. I have allergies and have to sleep on foam otherwise I get very congested.

[id10t]

i've had that issue - mild sleep apnea. Reoccured a few years ago, pre-diabetes. The CPAP machine fixed the first go 'round, controlling sugar and loosing weight fixed the second.

[onewhippedpuppy]

That happens to my wife, seems to coincide with when I'm trying to seduce her.

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

Would appear she is no getting adequate o2 while she is sleeping. I'm no doc but that has to be very bothersome for her and you as well to know she is not feeling well.

Has she tried sleeping with one of those nasal strips on her nose? Supposedly opens air passages. Might be worth a try.

[Rikao4]

as above..
do try the strips..
and change Doctors..
her current one is useless // clueless..
doesn't care !

Rika

[quicksix]

Is she drinking enough water? like lot's?
Interesting that it happens in the morning,after a prolonged time laying down,bp change maybe.Any other things happening,vision ok? Balance?
Anyway,have the doctors looked at her hormone level,or blood work?

[MRM]

It's almost certainly sleep apnea as alluded to above. I had the same thing and just mild apnea. I'm on a CPAP and much better. Btw I'm 6'4" and pretty lean. It has more to do with nose and throat makeup than anything else.

[scottmandue]

She/we drink a lot of water.

She did a sleep test about four years ago... I will ask her what was the results... she tends to start on something like this the let it fall by the wayside.

[Baz]

The nasal strips sound like a good idea. Also....sometimes I have to take an Allegra when I get up to clear up a sinus headache so there's that.

Recently I received an email with this info (see below) that I thought interesting. Not sure how much in any is accurate.....but could be worth looking into:

===================

Heart Attack and Water

How many folks do you know who say they don't want to drink anything before going to bed because they'll have to get up during the night ???


Heart Attack and Water - I never knew all of this! Interesting.......

Something else I didn't know ...
I asked my Doctor why do people
need to urinate so much at night
time.

Answer from my Cardiac Doctor -

Gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are standing (legs swell).
When you lie down and the lower body (legs and etc.) seeks level with the kidneys, it is then that the kidneys remove the water because it is easier. This then ties in with the last statement!

I knew you need your minimum water to help flush the toxins out of your body, but this was news to me.
Correct time to drink water.. Very Important. From A Cardiac Specialist!

Drinking water at a certain time
maximizes its effectiveness on
the body:

2 glasses of water
after waking up -
helps activate
internal organs,

1 glass of water
30 minutes before
a meal - helps digestion,

1 glass of water
before taking a bath -
helps lower blood pressure,

1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

I can also add to this... My Physician told me that water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps.

Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse.

[Tobra]

Two things.

1. To Baz, I would dispute the explanation that you have been given.

2. To the OP, do it at night instead of in the morning.

[Rot 911]

I've had a similar problem except I wake up in the middle of the night with a throbbing headache. Went to my doctor who suspects I may be clenching my jaw at night. Gave me a mild sedative that relaxes me more than makes me sleepy. I'd say the number of headaches I get have been reduced 70%-80%. Not saying that is your wife's problem, but definitely she needs to be doing some more research along with getting another doctor.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Tobra

2. To the OP, do it at night instead of in the morning.

I tried getting her to do it in the morning but she prefers the evening...

Oh wait... are you talking about water? We each have a bottle of water on our nightstands and in each of our cars... however we do not consciously drink a glass or two before or after bed.

[Bugsinrugs]

I suffer the same symptoms except I wake up in the middle of the night. I started takin an aspirin before going to bed and also got a foam pillow. It has helped a lot. Now it only happens maybe twice a month.

[Bill Douglas]

I also think it's the pillow causing problems. Or the bed not being firm (flat) enough. My pillow is next to nothing in thickness. When I'm away from home I bring it with me as hotel pillows are huge things that put your neck on a crazy angle.

[genrex]

Scott, please make sure your wife does a sleep study to check for sleep apnea. This is important. Sleep apnea can cause heart problems and strokes...

__

[Nickshu]

I would recommend you see an orofacial pain specialist in your area, if there is one. Most of these guys are dentists but some are physicians and some are dual trained DDS/MD's. They have postgraduate training in head and neck pain, sleep disorders, TMJ problems, etc. What the research is showing now is that these are all related issues.

It could be a triad of sleep disturbances that includes sleep apnea, bruxism (tooth grinding), and chronic head and neck muscle tension.

I am not an expert, but work with an expert in this area. Every patient I have sent to my local orofacial pain guy has gotten better and I have seen several with the same symptoms as your wife.

The academy of orofacial pain might be a good resource: Home - American Academy of Orofacial Pain

However it could also be many other things so you would have to run the gamut of diagnostics prior to making a treatment decision. A sleep study as well as some imaging such as CT and MRI are certainly a likely part of the diagnostic process.

One of the challenges with these issues is that treating them his historically sort of a "black art" and there is a lot of controversy about what treatments work and don't work. Neurologists/pain management guys will just want to put her on a bunch of meds, ENT's will just want to put her on a CPAP, Orthodontists will just want to do ortho to improve her TMJ position, and TMJ guys will just want to put her in a splint. This is of course after ruling out other things (tumors, etc). I have found in my area that I have had the best results with the OFP specialists. You need someone who can handle all aspects and act as a quarterback.

[911_Dude]

Most people walk around dehydrated their whole life. Try more water.