Doctor explains why you're waking up with a headache – it might be down to 'hidden cause'

A medical professional has shed light on why some people may be waking up with headaches.

Experiencing a throbbing pain in the head upon waking can be alarming, it happens to many of us. We might be tempted to blame dehydration or inadequate sleep, while those of us with health anxieties may fear a more serious underlying condition.

However, Dr Michelle – who shares health advice on TikTok under the handle @livingwellwithdrmichelle – has suggested that this unpleasant symptom could be due to a factor many wouldn't consider. In her video, she said: "What could waking up with headaches mean?

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"Well, a lot of the time it means you are actually struggling to get enough air at night to breathe properly once you're asleep. When you're awake, all the muscles in your neck area hold open the airways or the tube that we breathe through. But when you go to sleep, particularly a deep sleep, those muscles relax.

"The tongue and the tissue in the back of the throat fall back into the airway and if that airway's already small or obstructed by tissue, by something, then it's going to block that airway."

"Your body will do everything it can to open the airway back up again. So first of all, you'll come out of deep sleep because you need to engage a muscle."

"You'll move the bottom jaw forward... you'll squeeze your teeth because it flattens the tongue all of these things will open the airway more. But it fatigues the muscles, so you wake up with a sore jaw, sore muscles here [around the face] and headaches because you're just trying to