Cluster headaches are headaches that come back day after day over many days or even over several weeks. They are called "clusters" because the attacks of repeated headaches may be separated by weeks, months or even years without headaches. They usually cause extreme pain only on one side of the head and often around or behind one eye. Face or neck pain may also be a problem. Cluster headaches often occur at night, after you have already slept for a few hours. Most last less than two hours. For some people, the headaches can come back several times in one day. Then they just stop for several weeks or months before another cluster happens. Related problems you may experience include a one-sided headache are a stuffy or runny nose, the shedding of tears, and redness of the painful eye.

We don't know what causes cluster headaches. They happen in men more often than women, and in middle-aged persons more than young or old. They do not seem to run in families like some other types of headaches. Some patients say that the following things may trigger an attack:
* drinking alcohol,
* smoking cigarettes,
* stress,
* bright or glaring lights,
* certain foods, or
* lack of sleep.

It might help to avoid these things if you've been having frequent headaches.

Taking aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen usually doesn't help because the headache goes away before the pill starts working. There are some quick-acting medicines that you inhale or spray in your nose to fight the pain, and there are others that help prevent the next headache from happening. You can only get these types of medicine through your healthcare provider. If you are having pain in or around an eye that doesn't go away, you should see a healthcare provider to make sure it's not a problem with the eye, such as glaucoma.

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