Comorbid Sleep Disorders and Headache Disorders

Abstract

Sleep disorders are closely intertwined with different kinds of headache disorders. In some forms of headaches, this association is profound, such as in hypnic headache, where headaches only occur during sleep, or in cluster headache, which has connection to the REM sleep. In other headaches, the association with sleep is more subtle, but nevertheless, very relevant–for instance in migraine, where sleep deprivation or excessive sleep may act as a trigger for migraine, while sleep has a curative effect on the migraine attack. This chapter focuses in the relationship between sleep disorders and headaches focusing on the five primary forms of headaches: migraine, tension-type headache, paroxysmal hemicrania, hypnic headache, and secondary form of headaches such as obstructive-sleep-apnea-related headaches and medication overuse headaches (MOH).