Sleep Linked to Tension Headaches

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Many doctors recommend napping to relieve the pain of tension-type headaches. However, new research linking these headaches to insomnia could mean this common treatment method is only making the condition worse.

Researchers found over time, using sleep as a coping mechanism for pain can lead to the development of poor sleep patterns and chronic insomnia by disrupting one’s homeostatic drive for sleep.

Fifty-eight percent of tension-type headache sufferers reported sleep problems as a trigger of headaches, compared to 18 percent in the control group. Eighty-one percent of women with chronic tension headaches reported sleeping as a way of managing the pain associated with their headaches.

“Insomnia is a common complaint among headache sufferers,” Jason C. Ong, Ph.D., assistant professor of behavioral sciences at Rush University Medical Center, was quoted as saying. “While napping may relieve pain, it may also result in poor sleep hygiene, thus triggering sleep disturbance or perpetuating an insomnia episode.”

Separate analyses of pain history, coping strategies and electromyographic activity brought authors to the conclusion that assessment of daytime napping behaviors among insomniac tension headache sufferers may be an important part of a patient’s treatment plan.

SOURCE: The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2009

Interesting article. But actually, I am not really convinced. From my own experience, the effects described in the article do not imply that “napping is bad”, but that the people affected should have a closer look at their addiction/”reward”/evasion mechanisms in general…

Napping, even more when done right, e.g. with some nice brainwave session of lets say 30 minutes, is one of the most powerful instruments to recharge, relax and give the body the break it needs. And it can help to let go emerging headaches / migraines before they even get really bad.

My favorites: the “Longevity” session that comes with the first level of Holosync (and has a great healing potential beyond the “live long and prosper” focues), or the power naps from Jeffrey Thompson
.

Cats and many happy people have one thing in common: they take lots of naps. They have learned to relax quickly and let body and mind slip away in a state of restoration and re-charging for a brief period of time (10 to 30 minutes are ideal). That helps to remain focused and full of energy – and it keeps away many symptoms of stress…

But in the busy lives most people think they have to live it is difficult to do this kind of napping naturally.

If you are a nurse or a doctor, a travelling sales person, a teacher or student – often you will  have just a couple of minutes to recharge during your busy days. And most of us spend these minutes eating, reading or surfing the web – and when the short break is over, we get back to work without feeling refreshed, but dull and with that “eh, another 6 hours to survive” feeling…

And when you get back home? You are done.

So better reserve some time during the day and use it to restore, relax – sleep.

There is an old trick busy managers and others have been using for decades: the keyring trick. Have used it myself quite often. And will never do it again.

This is how it works: find a place where you will be undisturbed for a few minutes. Yes, maybe the loo. Sit firmly with your elbows on your knees, slightly bend forward, head dangling. Grab your keyring or anything else that will make some good noise when falling down (NOT your mobile phone, please) in one hand. Then sleep. The moment you slip off into deep sleep your hand will relax, the falling keyring hits the floor, and will give you an unhealthy shot of adrenaline… you are awake again and will survive the next meeting… But there are better ways that do not torture body and soul in the way that old trick does.

What cats and some people have as a natural ability can be trained: in a short period of time you naturally slip down into deep sleep state, stay there a couple of minutes, and get back softly and naturally – just like waking up after a “real” long sleep. Brainwave Entrainment can greatly support this. Special sounds help you to relax, guide your brain softly down into the delta frequencies, and bring you back into wide awake beta state after a set amount of time.

One of the best compilations of this kind of “nap enhancer” is “The ultimate Nap CD” by Dr Jeffrey Thompson, one of the leading brainwave entrainment experts and trusted by many around the globe. His sound products are used by Fortune 500 companies, health care professionals, and individuals worldwide.

Thompson actually developed these naps for overworked nurses who only had very brief breaks during their days, but desperately needed relaxation and a recharging of their “batteries”.

The nap guidance comes in three “sizes”, all on one CD (or as a digital download for your MP3-player):

you can choose between 10, 20 or 30 minutes.

It is a good idea to “train” your brain with the 30 minutes session for some time, especially if you are new to brainwave stuff. After some time you will let go more easily and naturally, and can switch to the shorter sessions.

A friendly chime at the end of the session will get you back into your day – but don’t worry, this is not the keyring-shocker: the brainwave patterns already bring you back gently during some minutes before.

What else can I say? These naps are one of two favorites in my daytime-napping equipment (the other one being more hypnosis-centered, coming soon). They are carefully crafted and do exactly what they are supposed to do.

They contain no spoken words or “subliminal messages”. Just sound waves.

Can be used with headphones / ear plugs and ordinary stereo speakers ( I recommend using headphones, the effect is much better).

The sessions are the result of 25 years of clinical research and have proven their usefulness many times, including a multi-hospital clinical study with stress-battered docs and nurses.

And at 9.99 for the digital download or about 12 bucks for the physical CD this is a bargain that will greatly enhance your health and energy. And might have some positive impact on your social/family life as well.

Some quotes from customers:

“… And… it works. He loves it. Even the 10 minute nap revives him, and he gets to start the second half of his work day feeling brand new. (He naps in his car.) I have to say… he comes home in a much better frame of mind, too… so, it’s improved both of our lives! Definitely worth it. … “

” … When you only have a little time and a lot of tired, this is the perfect cd. A small nap will leave you refreshed and ready to go. I highly recommend …”

Click the cover image for more information and to order your copy of “The ultimate Nap” (physical CD version) from Amazon.com:

The download version is available via Amazon downloads, click the image below to purchase it: