Cluster headaches are common in the fall and spring, when we adjust our clocks for daylight saving time. They're also common in January and February, when the days are short, and in July and August, when they're long, says Brian M. Grosberg, MD, director of the Montefiore Headache Center.
Because they can be seasonal, people often mistake them for headaches caused by allergies, sinusitis, or stress.
How Seasonal Changes Lead to Cluster Headaches
Experts suggest that cluster headaches can be triggered by changes in the length of the days.
When the seasons change, so does the amount of sunlight you get. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you get more direct sunlight in the summer. Then, in the winter, you get indirect sunlight. It's the opposite if you live south of the equator.
More or less sunlight can change your body's sleep-wake cycle, and that can trigger cluster headaches.
How to Tell if You Have Seasonal Cluster Headaches
Severe pain behind or around your eye. It can be even more intense than a migraine.
Periods of pain. Your headaches happen several times a day for a few weeks or months, which are called "cluster periods."
Breaks between attacks. You can go long amounts of time between cluster periods with no headache pain.
Headaches around the same time every year. January, February, July August, fall, and spring are common.
Same time of day or night. They tend to peak between 1-2 a.m., 1-3 p.m., and 9 p.m., Grosberg says, but attacks can happen at any time.
Pain wakes you up. You may get up during the night from cluster headache pain. Some people wake up 1-2 hours after going to bed.
Feel alert during cluster periods. "Cluster sufferers also seem to be hyper-aroused and alert, often pacing the room or feeling as if they must remain in constant motion," says Allen A. Towfigh, MD, medical director of New York Neurology & Sleep Medicine, PC.
How to Prevent Cluster Headaches
Melatonin. This is a hormone that your body makes to regulate sleep-wake cycles. You may have lower levels of it during cluster periods, especially when you have a headache.
Taking a melatonin supplement may help your sleep patterns. It hasn't been proven to prevent cluster headaches, Grosberg says, but since there are no negative side effects, it's worth a try. Try taking 10 milligrams a night.
Preventive medication. If your cluster headaches last more than 2 weeks, it may help to take medicine to try to ward them off. These drugs include calcium channel blockers, divalproex sodium (Depakote), lithium carbonate (Eskalith), topiramate (Topamax), and verapamil. They're typically taken daily.
Avoid common triggers. It may help to avoid these triggers during a cluster period:
Alcohol. You're more sensitive to the effects of alcohol when you're in the middle of a cluster period. Even small amounts can trigger a headache. It's fine to drink alcohol when you're not in the middle of a cluster period.
Cigarettes. Smoking during a cluster period can make your headaches worse. It's another good reason to quit.
Foods with nitrates. This includes foods like bacon and preserved meats.
Medications that can dilate blood vessels. This includes nitroglycerin.
Taking daytime naps. This may interfere with your sleep patterns and make it harder for your body to stay balanced.
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