Headache triggered by sleep deprivation: an observational study

Abstract

Introduction
Sleep deprivation is one of the main triggers of primary headaches, especially in migraine patients.
Objective
To determine the prevalence of headache triggered by sleep deprivation in night workers.
Methods
The study was cross-sectional, observational, non-random and convenience. We interviewed 71 night workers of a public hospital with diagnosis of primary headaches and presence of headache the day after night shift.
Results
The 71 night workers (50 women and 21 men) had a mean age of 36.7±7.7 years, ranging from 22 to 50 years. Of these workers, 83.2% were diagnosed with migraine and 16.9% with tension-type headache (TTH). The number of monthly night shifts was greater than 10, in 50.8% of migraine patients and in 58.3% of those with TTH. It was observed that 91.5% of migraine patients and 83.3% of patients with TTH slept ≥ 6 hours a night when they were at home, but when they were at work, they all slept ≤ 4 hours a night. Headache occurred the following day of night work in 83.1% of migraine patients and in 41.7% of those with TTH (p=0.005).
Conclusion
Headache triggered by sleep deprivation was highly prevalent, predominating in migraine patients.