Abstract
Aim: While obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is among the commonest of sleep disorders, morning headache is notoriously associated with OSA. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of reported morning headache in diagnosed cases of OSA. Materials and Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study on 160 subjects with and without OSA, who were conveniently recruited and instructed to complete the Stop-Bang questionnaire, Diagnostic Criteria of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder screener and symptom questionnaire, as well as an Operator-designed demographic questionnaire. SPSS statistics on bivariate analysis and odds ratios were conducted. Results: Morning headache was significantly associated with those having OSA when compared with non-OSA subjects (P < 0.001). Also those who had OSA and noticed they quit breathing during sleep were nearly four times as likely to have morning headache (P < 0.027) than those with OSA who did not notice they quit breathing during sleep. Conclusion: Headache is common, but the strongest and most significant predictor of headache in OSA subjects is noticing that they quit breathing.