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HeadWay, Issue #178 😴 Migraine and Sleep
June 21, 2019

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In this issue:

Migraine and Sleep

Recent Updates at Headache and Migraine News...

Say what?!

Migraine and Sleep

It's been a while since we've covered one of the most important topics in migraine treatment - migraine and sleep. It's one of the biggest challenges for migraineurs because it's often difficult to sleep - and yet we all know we need sleep.

Well, when I say we all know, maybe I exaggerate slightly - if you think you're "fine" getting 6 hours of sleep a night, and you're getting headaches more than once or twice a month, it's time to rethink.

Migraine and Sleep Disorders

Many people have eventually learned that many or most of their migraine attacks or cluster headaches are actually triggered by an undiagnosed sleep disorder. Even in the general population, 3-7% may suffer from common forms of sleep apnea, and the percentage among migraine patients may be much higher.

Some clues that you may have a sleep disorder:

You don't feel "refreshed" when you wake up
Snoring
You feel very sleepy during the day (in the case of children, they may be hyper during the day)
You wake up with a sore throat, or feel short of breath
You have headache in the morning
You wake up at night to use the toilet

Of course these are only clues - but if you think you may have some kind of sleep disorder, talk to your doctor. She may recommend some lifestyle changes that can be a huge help, or in some cases a CPAP machine may help. More on sleep disorders in this podcast.

"I can't get to sleep!"

A common problem for migraine patients is that they want to sleep but can't. We won't take up space here to get into all the solutions, but aside from being checked for a sleep disorder, here are some resources to help you:

Getting to sleep with migraine - these are tips from website visitors - a few years old, but still a lot of excellent ideas especially for those with migraine.
Back to Sleep: Simple Lifestyle Changes to Fight Chronic Migraine
How to Supercharge Your Sleep with Nick Littlehales, Sleep Coach to the World's Best Athletes - general sleep tips for everyone (podcast)
Sleep, Insomnia and Energy with Christine Lay, MD, FAHS - (You need a 2019 pass to the Migraine World Summit for this. But this interview alone may be worth the cost of the summit if you don't already own it.)
10 Reasons Why Good Sleep Is Important - just for fun, in case you didn't already know some of these.
Sleep Master: A New Kind of Face Mask to Help You Finally Sleep

Recent Updates at Headache and Migraine News...

Just a few articles you may have missed:

Say what?! Apnoea or Apnea

Apnoea or Apnea - just two ways of spelling the same thing. Apnoea comes from the Greek apnoia and simply means the absence of breathing. It's not always bad - for example, some diving mammals experience "apnea" - suspension of breathing while they dive.

However, this word is commonly used to describe sleep apnea, which describes a problem with normal breathing. There can be various causes, and so various treatments.

Thanks for reading! Remember, if you have feedback or ideas for future issues, visit the HeadWay MailRoom. Your password is nomoache.

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