Home Treatments for Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are extremely painful, but are preventable and treatable. Quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol lowers your risk for cluster headaches, despite the inability to avoid most of the risk factors, such as being an adult male with a family history of cluster headaches. Many sufferers seek professional medical assistance, but home remedies exist to mitigate the pain of a cluster headache.

Definition

The cluster headache is a painfully intense headache that recurs frequently during a span of time. It is named for the clusters of headaches in a segment of time, from days to months. Cluster headaches do not typically have warning signs, or auras, as migraine headaches do.

Causes

The exact cause of cluster headaches has not been determined, but there are many aspects of the human body chemistry that are clearly involved. The body's biological clock is thought to be a factor, due to the fact that the headaches tend to happen at the same time of day or time of year. Increased activity in the hypothalamus has been observed during a cluster headache, which suggests that the hypothalamus may be involved. People with cluster headaches have abnormal hormonal levels and melatonin and cortisol levels outside of normal ranges.

Symptoms

The main symptom of a cluster headache is agonizing pain, more serious than a normal headache, which typically radiates around one eye, but can include any area above the shoulders. The pain of a cluster headache typically occurs on one side of the face. The eye on the affected side tends to be reddened, teary and sometimes swollen, with a drooping eyelid, and the nostril tends to be runny or stuffed up. The complexion of someone suffering from a cluster headache tends to be pale and sweaty.

Medical Treatments

Cluster headaches are incurable, but the symptoms are treatable. There are many drugs and medical treatments available from traditional medical sources, including inhaling pure oxygen, and getting injections of drugs like Triptans, and Dihydroergotamine.

Home Treatments

Treating cluster headaches at home requires some lifestyle changes in order to prevent attacks and treat attacks when they occur. Avoiding alcoholic beverages, tobacco, nitrates, toxic fumes, and high altitudes, and by maintaining a consistent sleep schedule lessens the number of attacks. When attacks occur, there are many options with varying effectiveness for different individuals. Some find relief with acupressure or acupuncture. Others find that extreme exercise can reduce the severity of their symptoms. Irrigating the affected nostril with a cold saline solution is another remedy that can mitigate symptoms.