Pulsating in the head when you lie down can be a symptom of a “false” brain tumor, a condition called idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). It has no known underlying cause but high pressure in your brain can lead to IIH. Neck alignment issues, as well as various types of headaches like tension headaches, migraine, and trigeminal neuralgia, can cause pulsing in your head.
So, suddenly you feel a strange pulsing sensation in your head and don’t know what it is because it could be one thing or another.
It’s very frustrating, especially when you just want it to go away but don’t have solutions because you have no idea what the problem is in the first place.
A pulsing sensation in your head can affect your daily life, especially if it is accompanied by pain and other discomforts. It can be tricky to rule out a problem if you have only this symptom, so talk to your doctor about when and what triggers the pulsing.
3 Causes of pulsing feeling in the head
1. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH)
IIH is also known as pseudotumor cerebri, which in Latin translates as “false brain tumor.” It’s a condition that describes a high pressure in your skull, causing symptoms that mimic brain tumors. However, this increased pressure occurs even without any clear underlying cause; thus, it is called “idiopathic.”
IIH occurs when too much cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that surrounds and protects your brain and spinal cord, builds up in your skull, increasing pressure in your brain and your optic nerve. As a result, you may feel a throbbing or pulsating sensation in your head when you lie down.
IIH may cause the following symptoms:
- Sudden severe headaches. These headaches may occur daily and worsen in the morning or after lying down. They may start mildly but will suddenly become severe, which might wake you up from your sleep.
- Vision problems. An early symptom is double vision and loss of peripheral (side) vision, which causes you to bump into objects unknowingly. This may develop into blurred vision, which puts you at risk of blindness.
- Nausea and vomiting. These often come along with severe headaches.
- Ringing in the ears or pulsatile tinnitus. This occurs within your head, which seems to sync with each beat of your pulse.
- Fatigue. You easily feel tired and exhausted.
Some people with IIH may not develop these symptoms early in the condition. Visit your doctor immediately if you suspect the pulsating sensation in your head is IIH.
How to treat IIH?
Although, the causes of IIH are unknown. A high-risk factor is obesity in women of childbearing age. If you’re overweight or obese, your doctor may talk to you about losing excess weight.
IIH may resolve without treatment but your doctor may prescribe you medicines to alleviate symptoms, reduce increased pressure, and prevent further vision loss.
If your vision worsens even with first-line treatments, surgery may become necessary to drain excess fluid from your skull.
People who become blind due to IIH usually don’t get their vision back even if the pressure around the brain is treated.
2. Postural problems
You can show up with IIH symptoms but the tests could still result in all normal.
You might want to see a chiropractor to check if you have problems with your neck and head alignment. Some doctors might miss looking at alignment issues thus, have a hard time ruling out a diagnosis.
Misalignment of your cervical spine (neck) can cause the following:
- Strain your neck and upper back muscles, which can radiate to your head.
- Compress blood vessels, altering blood flow and causing pressure.
- Irritate nerves.
- Worsen pulsatile tinnitus, where you hear rhythmic pulsing in sync with your heartbeat.
All of these can bring pressure, tingling, and pulsating sensations when you lie down or change positions.
Below are other common symptoms of neck misalignment:
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Soreness and tenderness. These are signs of swelling and inflammation signaling issues inside.
- Frequent or severe headaches, often in the back of the head or temples.
- Shoulder pain. Pain or stiffness in the shoulders.
- Difficulty turning your head or tilting it to the sides.
- Stiffness and tightness in your neck, shoulders, or upper back muscles.
- Fatigue
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Trouble focusing or paying attention.
How to treat neck misalignment?
You may work with a physical therapist and a chiropractor to plan a comprehensive treatment approach that will work best for you.
They both will help you relieve your symptoms by providing techniques that will realign your spine and correct your bad posture.
3. Headaches
A headache can be a symptom of various health conditions. Pulsating in your head as you lie down may relate to a certain type of headache. But, a pain in your head isn’t enough symptom for your doctor to rule out a diagnosis.
Below are some types of headache that could be the culprit for the pulsating sensation in your head as you lie down:
1. Positional headache
Pulsing in the head may relate to positional headache. This type of headache can cause severe pain like throbbing, pounding, or aching in the back of your head when you stand, bend down, or suddenly change your head position.
However, positional headaches often go away after about 20-30 minutes as you lie down and it’s usually triggered when you sit upright.
So, if your headache occurs when you sit upright and suddenly alleviate a couple of minutes after you lie down, it’s most likely a positional headache. Doctors sometimes call this “orthostatic” headache which relates to the term “in upright position”.
One common cause of positional headaches is a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. A CSF leak leads to intracranial hypotension or low pressure inside the skull. Thus, another name for positional headache is “low-pressure headache.” Other causes could include postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) or several other underlying health conditions.
Treatment for positional headaches relies on treating the underlying cause. If the cause is a mild CSF leak, positional headaches usually resolve without any treatment or just by following at-home remedies like getting extra rest and staying hydrated.
Please take note of the things you do that trigger your headache to help your doctor better diagnose the condition.
If your headache becomes severe as you lie down it might be due to tension headache, migraine, or other types of headache.
2. Tension headache
Tension headaches are often the culprit in a condition that relates to muscle tension.
It commonly occurs due to stress or other reasons involving the contraction of the neck muscles. The typical indication of this headache is when you feel tension like that of a tight band squeezing your head.
Practicing relaxation techniques and stress management can help reduce tension and alleviate pain, as well as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or pain relievers like acetaminophen.
2. Migraine headache
A distinctive indication of a migraine headache is the feeling of pins and needles or pulsations on either side of the head. Generally, lack of sleep, stress, hormonal changes, and intense lighting trigger the onset of migraine headaches.
Over-the-counter pain relievers may help reduce pain during a migraine attack. Your doctor may also prescribe you medications for it. A regular sleep-wake schedule, practicing stress management, and exercising regularly can help you manage symptoms.
3. Trigeminal neuralgia-induced headache
Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition that describes severe facial pain on either side of your face. The pain may radiate to your head causing headaches. Your trigeminal nerve allows sensations in the muscles of the head and parts of your face like your jaw, mouth, eyes, and nose.
Headache induced by trigeminal neuralgia can be a throbbing pain that feels like palpitations or beats.
Trigeminal neuralgia can affect your daily activities. Your doctor may prescribe you anticonvulsants or botox shots to help ease pain and prevent severe attacks. In severe cases, you might need to receive surgery.
FAQs
1. Why do I hear my pulse, and does it have to do with a headache?
If you have no hearing abnormalities, hearing your pulse (pulsatile tinnitus), especially in a quiet environment, is normal. It can also be a warning sign of a migraine attack.
2. When you hear your pulse, is it always pulsatile tinnitus, or does it have other reasons?
Hearing your can be due to other reasons. A common one is an earwax buildup or spasms of the muscles near your ear. Other reasons could be blood vessel abnormalities that affect normal blood flow in areas near or in your ears, as well as ear infections or inflammation. Stress and anxiety could manifest as physical symptoms of hearing your pulse.
References
- https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/brain-spinal-cord-and-nerve-disorders/headaches/idiopathic-intracranial-hypertension
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21968-idiopathic-intracranial-hypertension
- https://www.allianceptp.com/5-neck-misalignment-symptoms-watch-out
- https://spinalcsfleak.org/positional-headache-not-always-spinal-csf-leak/
- https://khealth.com/learn/headache/back-of-head/
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15671-trigeminal-neuralgia-tn
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tension-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20353977
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20360201#:~:text=A%20migraine%20is%20a%20headache,sensitivity%20to%20light%20and%20sound.
