
If you have been struggling with severe, debilitating headaches at night and have no accompanying symptoms, it might be due to a hypnic headache. It isn’t surprising if you haven’t heard of this type of headache before, since they are extremely rare. As was for the case of a 68-year old woman in a study conducted by the National Headache Foundation, it takes a series of tests to rule out other causes of the headaches while sleeping, until the official hypnic diagnosis is found.
What is a Hypnic Headache?
Also known as an “alarm clock headache” or “hypnic headache syndrome”, these types of headaches only start during sleep, either from a daytime nap or nightly sleep. Headaches experienced while sleeping don’t typically wake you up, but these types of headaches cause an immediate, jolting awakening, similar to an alarm clock, and often at the same time.
Most individuals suffering from headaches during sleep due to hypnic headaches, go to sleep pain-free, but wake up in debilitating pain. Hypnic-based headaches, which are in the group of idiopathic headache syndromes, are more common in adults over 50, though they also occur at age 40 or older.
Continue reading “Hypnic Headaches – The Sleep Disruptor”