Sleep and headache: a bidirectional relationship

Abstract

Sleep and pain perception are two phylogenetically well-conserved functions, strictly influenced by environmental and psychological factors, and are able to interact reciprocally both in physiological and pathological situations. Sleep and head-pain perception share the involvement of several structures, such as the thalamus, the hypothalamus and brainstem nuclei, including the locus coeruleus and raphe nuclei. There ais clinical evidence indicating that sleep disorders can precede the appearance of certain headaches and that head pain, especially when frequent, can, in turn, affect sleep quality. In the present work the anatomy, physiology and pathology of sleep and head-pain perception will be reviewed with the aim of highlighting the points of contact and possible unifying treatment strategies

Keywords::

• headache
• insomnia
• migraine
• pain
• parasomnia
• sleep

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.