Cluster headaches are often debilitating.
Because of their relative rarity, most people aren’t familiar with cluster headaches. But they can be debilitating for those who suffer from them.
Signs and Symptoms of a Cluster Headache
Cluster headaches are named for the fact that they usually strike in bunches, recurring in a cycle for a period of days, weeks or even months, before disappearing for long periods of remission.
The often-excruciating pain clusters around a specific point on one side of the head. Usually, the focal point of the pain is in or behind one eye, or occasionally at the temple. Because they are usually felt near the eye, other cluster headache symptoms often include watering eyes, a runny nose, pupil constriction or drooping eyelids. In some cases, the skin will become pale and sweaty on one half of the face before the headache begins.
Cluster headaches are also known as “alarm clock headaches” for the precise regularity with which they strike, and because they often occur while the person is asleep.
