For some people, they may be related to sleep problems. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine looked at the relationship between sleeping difficulties and headaches. Keeping in mind the study involved only 49 subjects and lacked some important study controls such as randomization and blinding, the researchers found 26 also had a primary complaint of headache. After six months of treatment, the researchers found 17 of the 26 subjects, about two-thirds, reported no headaches. Subjects who still reported headaches were those with periodic limb movements, another situation researchers want to study further.
Headaches are a common complaint.
For the occasional headache, this may be fine. If, however, you can establish a pattern between your headaches and not feeling like you had a good night's sleep, you may consider participating in a sleep study. There are many known and unknown causes of headache. This study by no means indicates headaches are solely caused by sleep problems, but it does establish a new path of investigation for those who do suffer from them.