Early morning headaches... Really worried

[kmm111]

Has anyone experienced frequent headaches in the middle of the night/early morning and it turned out to be something NOT serious?

I'm really worried, as I've had one every single morning this week in the back of my head/base of my skull. I wake up at around 4am, and it persists until I'm up and out of bed, and then feels better. Some days it continues and I need to take ibuprofen.

Of course I've read this is characteristic of a brain tumor, so I'm freaking out. I do have a history of bulging discs in my neck and used to experience a lot of neck pain, but that pain would start after I had been working at a desk all day in front of a computer, never in the morning.

Any help is appreciated!

[Fishmanpa]

I can't tell you how many times I've awoken in the wee hours to take a pee and then go downstairs to get some ibuprofen for a headache. It is what it is.... and it's certainly not a brain tumor :whistles:

FMP

[jojo2316]

Worth checking with your doctor but also it’s not that uncommon and neck problems are a key cause of overnight headaches. As is various sleep problems like sleep apnea. And teeth grinding. The list is long. My husband gets them a lot and doesn’t think much of it.

[jinglebells]

Had this on a daily basis for months....wake up at 4am, have a headache, freak out, headache gets worse and same happens the next day. I no longer have the issue and I haven’t died of a brain tumour.

[kmm111]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I've been so anxious about it that now I feel nauseous (which is another sinister sign) ☹️ Reading your responses definitely helps though.

[Fishmanpa]

Worth checking with your doctor

No... not really.....

FMP

[Hydeo_Kojima]

A bit late to the party, but I've had this issue in the past too. I've found that, for me, it's usually a mixture of sleeping patterns, bad posture throughout the day, and slight dehydration. A heating pad over the shoulders for a bit and shifting my sleeping positions has really helped me though it might be completely different for you. I definitely don't think that it's a brain tumor though. You'll be A-OK!

[NancyW]

Add me to the list of morning headaches. I've been having them every morning for weeks now.
Not sure what it is, weather? Stress? The melatonin I take? The fan in my room?

No idea but it will eventually stop

[AuntWithIssues87]

Weather, stress, too much or too little caffeine, going too long without eating all have been past triggers of morning headaches for me. My area has really bad weather for a large portion of the year....horrible, snowy winters and swampy, muggy days in summer and I think weather might be a bigger issue for my migraines than I realize.

[Jase.]

I had the exact same problem! I visited my dentist who informed me that it looked like I'd been grinding my teeth when I sleep (which anxious people tend to do) which can cause headaches early in the morning. He prescribed me a mouth guard and what do you know? No more headaches! :)

If you had a brain tumour, you'd more than likely have a hell of a lot more symptoms. They're certainly not subtle things to have.

[Anxiouscow]

Any headache that goes away with pain medication (ie. Ibuprofen) is just a headache.