If you woke up with a headache this morning, you are far from alone. A new study in the Journal of Headache and Pain has illustrated the sheer prevalence of headaches, finding that around one in six people worldwide will experience some form of pounding head pain today. In particular, the authors found that seven per cent of people suffer from migraine, with nine per cent experiencing a tension headache.

Morning headache is a common form of tension headache and can be linked to a variety of triggers such as poor sleep posture, resulting in strained or tense muscles. Experts recommend speaking to a doctor if you experience persistent morning headaches as this can also be a sign of sleep apnea where the throat muscles partially collapse during sleep and interrupt breathing.

Morning headaches can also be linked to insomnia, teeth grinding during sleep or caffeine withdrawal. Because regular caffeine consumption causes the blood vessels to narrow, suddenly reducing or stopping intake allows blood vessels to open up and increases blood flow to the brain. This can cause painful headaches as the brain adjusts to the increase in blood.

Alternatively, it could just be a symptom of a hangover.