

#165 - Headache and Sleep: Gotta Painful Swelling Brain
Aug 18, 2025
32:08
Headaches don’t punch the clock at bedtime — in fact, for many, night is when they strike hardest. In this episode, we’ll:
- Explore how disrupted sleep can trigger and intensify migraines, cluster headaches, hypnic headaches, and chronic daily headache
- Examine the role of sleep apnea in “morning headaches” and how CPAP therapy can make them disappear
- Review the latest research linking insomnia treatment to reduced headache burden — including new findings from a Seattle study on prazosin for posttraumatic headache in veterans
- Break down the brain mechanisms connecting sleep and pain, from hypothalamic circadian control to CGRP signaling
- Offer practical, research-backed strategies for patients and clinicians to address both sides of the equation
Produced by: Maeve Winter
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- The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child
Thanks for listening and sleep well!