Headache When Lying Down – Causes and Treatment

Pain in any part of our body is irritating to all of us, and when this aching arises in our head, the situation becomes most annoying to us. You may feel pain either at a particular side or on both sides simultaneously, and the nature of this pain is perhaps dull or sharp. Again, it sometimes radiates from a site to the other, while in many cases, it concentrates on one spot.

Nowadays, many people complain that they are experiencing some aching on head, while lying down. Obviously, they want to know the causes, behind it and the possible treatments for curing it.

However, the causes behind any specific headache may be of various types, and all of them have diverse treatment processes.

Cluster headache

It is very painful, though it occurs only in rare cases. However, it may not be considered as some life-threatening kind of head pain. This pain is named so because of the cyclic clusters, while it takes place. The stage of regular attacks on head, or in other words, cluster period, may be consistent and last for about some weeks or months. This is generally followed by the phase of remission where head pains vanish absolutely.

In case of cluster head pain, you will feel sharp sudden ache that is usually sited around a particular eye; however, it may spread out to face, neck and many other parts of your head. Some common signs for this headache comprise:

  • Sharp, burning and penetrating pain
  • Agitation
  • Nausea
  • Extreme tearing
  • Flush in the concerned eye
  • Inflammation near affected eye
  • Pale and sweaty skin, particularly the face
  • Baggy eyelid
  • Stuffy nose
  • Sensitivity to sound or light

The modern treatment process may be able to lessen the severity and duration of pain though the condition is sometimes hard to treat.

Cluster head pain may emerge anytime, no matter what your age is, but very often, it starts, while you are twenty or more than that. It is seen that while you are getting older, there is a possibility of longer pain-free phases among the clusters’ bout.

Almost one out of twenty patients, who are experiencing cluster headache, has relatives, who have the same disorder. Unlike migraine, this is common more in guys than in women. Moreover, the regular smokers and children may also have the same condition.

Cervicogenic headache

This kind of headache emerges from neck portion, and it is referred to as cervicogenic headache. With this condition, you may feel:

  • Range of moving your neck gets lessened
  • Definite neck movements are likely to activate your headache
  • Pain may also be in the arm or shoulder on the same side
  • You will also have the risk of experiencing nausea and photophobia

To cure this disorder, you need different therapies, including physical therapy. While it doesn’t work for you, the physician will recommend the injection of an anesthetic substance into your neck. Radiofrequency neurotomy is also another option for treatment and this involves the diffusion of rays with needles to your nerves. It generates heat that is accountable for deactivation of nerve, which holds the signals of pain.

Brain Tumor

It is a condition of the group of cells at unusually high pace. The symptoms, which are due to brain tumor, are highly dependent on the size and individual condition. Still, some known signs are:

  • Headaches started while you are lying down
  • Seizures
  • Vomiting and nausea
  • Hearing and vision problems
  • Speech and balance issues
  • Loss of feelings
  • Changes in behavior and character

To treat this condition, sometimes, surgery is needed, when the tumor is reachable and may be detached from usual tissues. Some other options for healing are chemotherapy, radiation therapy and many more.


Tension headache

This is a very common headache category, recognized with moderate or mild pain. In this condition, you will feel as if some tight strip is tied around your head. This headache may be of two types- one is chronic, while the other one is episodic.

You may experience:

  • Dull headache
  • Aching in scalp, neck and muscles on shoulder

This headache may be treated simply with some alteration in the lifestyle. Though some people do not want to use medications, you may better choose pain relievers (such as naproxen and aspirin). Narcotics and triptans are generally helpful to patients, who are experiencing migraines and tension headache.

Sinus headache

When there is high stress on your sinuses because of inflammation or infection, it will possibly lead to sinus headache. No matter what the related pathology is, you may have the following symptoms, in case of sinus headache:

  • A feeling of fullness, pain or strain on brow, cheeks and forehead
  • Exhaustion
  • Headache while turning forwards or lying down
  • Discomfort and pain in teeth and gums

You may accept the below stated medications in order to cure sinus headache

  • Triptans, including sumatriptan, naratriptan and some other similar medications may control constriction of blood vessel and obstruct the pathways of pain in your brain
  • Pain relievers, such as, ibuprofen, acetaminophen and naproxen are safe options
  • Ergots are likely to be much powerful for those, who have pain for over seventy two hours
  • Anti-vomiting pills, such as, chlorpromazine may be useful, while migraine goes with nausea as well. As migraines and sinus pain overlaps, such drug may assist to cure sinus problem.
  • Glucocorticoids may be applied with some other remedies to alleviate aching; however, they must not be used very often to prevent steroid toxicity.

Thus, these are some common sorts of headaches, which you feel, mainly while lying down. However, do not allow your headache to continue for a long time. Get in touch with a doctor and treat yourself with the right medications.

Sometimes, there may some serious reasons behind headache, and so, it is better not to ignore the situation. The appropriate modern treatment will surely cure you completely.

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