UHAM056

THE CAUSES OF HEADACHE AND MIGRAINE ^ 39

As a conseąuence, you become morę and morę dehydrated and one sign of dehydration is a headache.

Sleep disorders

The ‘right’ amount of sleep is a fine balance, and varies from individual to individual. However, we know that too much or too little sleep can be very damaging to health. Most people sleep around seven or eight hours each day, but the pattern of sleep often changes as people get older. Most people hnd it unavoidable now and then to ‘undersleep’, perhaps because of an early start to catch a holiday flight or because of occasional shift work. However, when people regularly sleep too much or too little they often experience a headache on waking, which at times can be ąuite persistent.

The first thing to rule out in a situation such as this is depression. Depression can contribute to headaches, and unusual sleeping patterns are also a sign of depression, especially oversleeping. If you generally feel very Iow and unhappy and are sleeping too much and, perhaps, spending less and less time with other people, you should consult your doctor.

Sleep apnoea is a disorder where breathing can stop when a person is sleeping. The person often wakes up many times during the night and can feel very tired in the morning. Essentially, the person experiences oxy gen star vation during the night, often without being aware of it. If you often wake up feeling excessively tired and have headaches, this is a smali possibility.

Anothersleep-relatedcauseisnocturnaltooth-grindingandjaw-clenching. If you grind your teeth together in your sleep, you not only wear your teeth down but you also overusethe jawmuscles, which can leadto headache during the day. If you sleep with a partner, he or she will often tell you about tooth grinding. Your dentist will also see signs of this and should tell you. If your dentist does not mention it, but you suspect it, ask him or her about it.

Stress

Stress probably affects all human beings, at least to some extent. In some societies it is caused by interpersonal conflict (arguments and disagreements, for instance) and by work; in others it may even be caused by fear for one’s life (in dangerous political situations or in places where people are at risk from life-threatening events). In everyday life, even minor hassles, as they arecalled, contribute to stress. Queuing at the bank or waiting for a late train, having minor disputes with our neighbours, needing minor repairs to our cars and