Alarm clock headache: A relatively rare form of headache in which the patient is awakened from sleep at the same time every night, usually between 1 and 3 o'clock, with intense dull or throbbing pain over the whole head. Each episode may last up to 1 hour and be associated with nausea. Similar episodes may occasionally strike in the daytime. The disorder almost always affects people over 65.
The precise cause of alarm clock headaches is unknown but there is evidence that the disorder is related to REM sleep. The first treatment option is lithium. If it is not effective or is not tolerated, indomethacin, flunarizine, and caffeine may be useful. In the medical literature, the condition is called hypnic headache.
Alarm clock headache: A relatively rare form of headache in which the patient is awakened from sleep at the same time every night, usually between 1 and 3 o'clock, with ...
Hypnic headache is treatable, and usually affects older people. Causes them to waken from sleep with a severe diffuse headache. Lithium carbonate treatment is often ...
Primary care doctor: Because of the patient’s age and the absence of a headache history, I first considered such secondary causes as tumor and temporal arteritis.
"Alarm Clock" Symptoms. Cluster headache symptoms usually appear with a certain regularity, with onset occurring at or near the same time on successive days.
Alarm Clock Headache A rare form of cluster headache which has an abrupt onset and is of such severity that it wakes its victim, and classically occurs at the same ...