March 30, 2023 – Researchers say they’ve found links between two kinds of headaches and the body's internal clock, which may lead to raised treatments.
Cluster headaches occur more regularly at night, and migraines occur more regularly through the day, in accordance with a meta-analysis published in Neurology, the medical journal the American Academy of Neurology.
Cluster headaches cause pain across the eyes in bouts that will last quarter-hour; an attack may last as long as three hours. These headaches are rare and occur more regularly in men than in women.
Migraines occur thrice more often in women.
“Cluster headaches are known to be circadian, but it was surprising how circadian migraine is,” said Mark Burish, MD, the study's lead writer and director of the Will Erwin Headache Research Center at UTHealth Houston. NBC News.
The meta-analysis examined 72 studies that examined how the body's internal clock, the circadian rhythm, is expounded to headache disorders. In total, greater than 40 million Americans are affected by each kinds of headaches.
Cluster headaches were more strongly related to circadian cycles through the seasonal changes of spring and fall. More than 70% of individuals in 16 studies reported having more attacks during these seasons and that they typically occurred between late at night and early within the morning.
The researchers were surprised to seek out that migraines occurred in cycles throughout the day and yr. Migraine headaches were reported less regularly between 11 p.m. and seven a.m., while they were more frequent and more severe between spring and fall.
“Drugs that target circadian rhythms may be a new form of treatment we can offer these patients,” Burish said. “We weren't sure if looking at circadian targets in migraine therapy would actually make a difference, but after putting all this together, we're more confident that it's possible,” he said.