When a morning headache is more than just a headache (and when a doctor's visit may be in order)

One reason our snooze button is always so tempting to push is that no one wants to exchange restful slumber for all the responsibilities and demands of yet another day. Even on a vacation or a lazy Sunday, many of us choose to spend as much time as we can delaying getting going as we prefer to lay in the comfort of our bed as long as possible. 

But sometimes waking up is greeted by a less-than-pleasant sensation: the pressure and pain of a morning headache. This is often related to either chronic migraine symptoms or the most common type of headache - a tension headache, says Dr. Amaal Starling, an associate professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. 

What does a morning headache feel like?

If your morning headache is caused by a migraine, it's likely to be accompanied by other symptoms such as a throbbing or pulsing sensation on one side of your head, sensitivity to light or sound (bright beams of morning sunlight can be especially off-putting), or feelings of nausea or confusion. 

If it's a tension-type headache, you're going to wake up feeling a more subdued but often still intense pain on both sides of your head - sometimes described as pressure encircling the head as if a headband was worn too tightly. Some people also feel like their temples are especially tender or are at the center of the pain. 

Regardless of the type of headache you're experiencing, it can helpful to remember that "a headache in itself is not a diagnosis, but we can rather think of this as a word that describes the pain we are experiencing in that region," says Rashmi Halker-Singh, a neurologist and director of the headache medicine fellowship program at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. 

Such pain can be related to any number of factors. 

Why do I wake up with a headache?

Some causes or contributing factors of waking up with a headache could include sleeping in "a room temperature that's too high, dehydration, insomnia or because you drank too much caffeine throughout the day, known as a caffeine withdrawal," says Alexander Mauskop, director and founder of the New York Headache Center in Manhattan. This occurs when one's body becomes accustomed to caffeine and then doesn't get it for an extended period of time such as a full night's sleep.

Often the culprit of a morning headache stems from sleeping in a poor sleep position or "a pillow that could be too high," adds Mauskop. 

Having too much to drink the night before, often referred to as a hangover, can sometimes be another reason for waking up feeling dizzy and with a pounding headache. 

Is a morning headache ever a red flag? 

While such factors associated with morning headaches are relatively minor and represent only a few of more than 300 headache causes, there are times when a morning headache may be reason for concern. Mauskop says it may be worth a trip to the doctor visit if your morning headache is also accompanied by "loss of vision, numbness or weakness of a body part, fever or inability to function normally." He also said it's worth looking into any constantly recurring morning headaches or an unusually severe headache. 

A doctor's visit can help you get the care and relief you need while also helping rule out anything more serious. "When a person comes in to see a clinician with a headache, our first job is to determine if what they have is a primary headache or a secondary headache, where the headache is a symptom of something else," says Halker-Singh. "Meeting the patient and asking careful questions about symptoms is important to help us clarify this." 

More:A migraine is more than just a bad headache. Here's what causes them.