Self Help

Cluster headaches are associated with hyperstimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which causes the one-sided runny nose, eye tearing, pupil constriction, and eyelid drooping.

Serotonin imbalance plays a significant role in the cause of cluster headaches . There seems to be a basic malfunction in the cluster headache sufferer’s biological clock, the hypothalamus, which explains why cluster headaches often occur at the same time every day or night during a cluster cycle.

Some researchers suspect that cluster headaches may be caused by a disorder in histamine metabolism, since they are usually accompanied by allergy symptoms such as tearing, nasal congestion, and a runny nose.

The most common trigger is alcohol. During a cluster cycle even a few drops of alcohol can trigger a painful headache. However, when not in a cluster cycle, alcohol will not trigger a headache.

There is a high incidence of smoking in cluster patients, but it is not clear that this is a cause or that smoking reduces the incidence of cluster headaches.