(WYTV) – Cluster headaches are not that common, but they are extremely painful. And they often occur right now, during the fall. They come on fast and hit hard.
It will wake you from a sound sleep, and it reaches its peak intensity in just seconds — lasting 15 to 20 minutes. You may actually bang things against your head and then it shuts off like a light switch.
“For patients who struggle with this, for six to 12 weeks, they may have multiple headaches per day. Maybe one to eight headaches per day and then just abruptly as the cycle starts, the cycle will shut off. They might be headache-free for months or even a year before the cycle starts,” said Dr. Carrie Robertson, a neurologist with the Mayo Clinic.
Cluster headaches will occur without a trigger, but they do tend to be seasonal and many cycles begin in the fall. There is no cure for cluster headaches, but treatments can help decrease the pain, shorten the headache time and even help prevent the attacks.
The cluster headache differs from a typical migraine or ordinary headache. Less than 1% of the population gets them.
