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(Message started by: das on Feb 10^th, 2003, 4:17pm)

Title: Stress
Post by das on Feb 10^th, 2003, 4:17pm

Hello All,

I think that stress may be one of the primary causes of my CHs. I've been thinking about it and realized that I am a very stressed person by nature, but that particularly stressful situations tend to throw me into a cycle. Has anyone else noticed this and are there any of you that are stressed out folks like me that think stress is a cause???

If so, any suggestions on how to deal with stress? How do you not sweat the small, stupid unimportant things that can set you off? I constantly get upset by the most innane situations which I know are out of my control.

Title: Re: Stress
Post by jonny on Feb 10^th, 2003, 4:20pm

Dont worry about things that you have no control of.

Im in the most stressful time of my life now and its had no effect on my head, how do I deal with stress?

I come here and try to laugh it off.

But thats just how I do.

............................jonny

Title: Re: Stress
Post by cathy on Feb 10^th, 2003, 4:35pm

;D Stress....hmmmm well I think that they're are plenty of ways to relieve stress... ::) some better than others!! ;) :-*

I've always like the saying.."If it's not broken....don't try and mend it..."

Cathy :)

Title: Re: Stress
Post by TomM on Feb 10^th, 2003, 4:42pm

Stress is definitely a factor for me.

It's easier to say don't worry about things you can not control, but for us types that are control freaks we can not let go.

I found a way to relieve the stress of a kip 4 or lower HA and the wife don't mind too much either. ;)

TomM

Title: Re: Stress
Post by oringkid on Feb 10^th, 2003, 4:59pm

Can't say that any of my cycles noticably coincided with lots of stress. Key word being "noticably". I, evidently, am stressed most of the time. I too tend to overreact to things that I cannot control. I am also a worrier and the keeper of the rings of guilt! LOL!

But truth be told, stress (at least stress that I could feel and identify as such) has never seemed to trigger either a cycle or a headache.

I have always described myself as "laid back" not an "A" type personality at all.........well then, why is it that I have had TMJ, Anxiety Attacks, and the precursors to an ulcer??? LOL Guess I'm not as laid back as I would like to think I am... But! I am working on it!

My cycles usually play the Spring/Fall game +/- a couple of months either way.

Sherry

Title: Re: Stress
Post by don on Feb 10^th, 2003, 5:12pm

During the most stressfull periods of my life I have been CH free. It is when the stress begins to dissipate that I am in trouble.

Title: Re: Stress
Post by Marc on Feb 10^th, 2003, 5:33pm

I'm with Don on this one - stress (and lots of it) tends to reduce my CH's. I'm chronic, but I get hit most when I relax.

Relaxed is the enemy
Stress is my other girl friend besides Vera

Marc

Title: Re: Stress
Post by fubar on Feb 10^th, 2003, 5:38pm

Stress is good. Embrace the stress. Love it. Touch it. Taste it. Stress is your friend. I don't think the beast likes stress. I know the beast likes to attack as soon as my stress level begins to decline. I've never had an attack coincide with increasing stress levels.

-Fu

Title: Re: Stress
Post by west17m on Feb 10^th, 2003, 5:58pm

I'll agree with Don and Fubar; stress is inversely proportion to clusters in my case. I do, however, like and prefer life with neither ;).

Title: Re: Stress
Post by kim on Feb 10^th, 2003, 6:19pm

Temp...............ting............. :DOK shakin it off.......uh, stress seems to aide in abeiting.

Usually, it's the times following stress or the winding down that seems to attract an attack. That is why many seem to avoid meandering of any sort........... :D

At this very moment there are numerous ciggarettes protruding from my facial orifices plus I'm swiggin coffee like a lunatic. :D (don't be pigs you pigs) ;D

Title: Re: Stress
Post by cootie on Feb 10^th, 2003, 6:35pm

Brad's attacks hit him after he wound down from a rather stressful vacation and he came back to stress situations at work....but his cycle was due at that time also. Myself I am the the worst with stress.....it makes me physically ill.....gets ovewhelming.....and out of control. If ya find out what works das.....leme know. Nitely panic attacks has been the deal here lately.....good luck to ya. Pam....the girl that likes honkin......................

Title: Re: Stress
Post by Roxy on Feb 10^th, 2003, 7:11pm

The only attack I get that comes on schedule is at 3am. The rest hide in waiting for random attacks. >:(

Can't tell if stress is a factor...I just don't stress much. I'm a basic, "I don't give a flying f*** kinda person". But, they don't seem to hit when I'm really relaxed either ;D. Who knows....I can't seem to figure this beast out.

Hope you can figure out how to handle the stress...got a friend that swears yoga does it for her. Might be worth a shot.

Tracey

Title: Re: Stress
Post by BobG on Feb 10^th, 2003, 9:41pm

Most clusterheads get hit during the REM sleep mode.

How stressful can that be?

Title: Re: Stress
Post by kim on Feb 10^th, 2003, 10:10pm

Bang a Gong.................Get it on............It's tetley TEE ;D

Title: Re: Stress
Post by JDH on Feb 10^th, 2003, 10:39pm

Having my worse cycle to date that started a month or so after one of the most stressful times of my life ended.

Title: Re: Stress
Post by Jarvis on Feb 10^th, 2003, 11:20pm

Stress is something I strive for and seldom find. Stress for me is a wonderfull thing. Never sweat the small stuff. When others are stressed or an emergency arises I am at my very best. I dont think I have ever had a CH when stressed. Even during the worst CH attacks I go to calm. Must be something wrong with me. .... . How to deal with stress, I can preach but I dont really know cause I dont understand what there is to get all worked up about. .

Title: Re: Stress
Post by BobG on Feb 11^th, 2003, 12:07am

So far we have:
jonny...he's chronic and can get them anytime.
TomM..Stress is definitely a factor. For or against? Didn't say
oringkid...stress never seemed to trigger either a cycle or a headache.
don...when the stress begins to dissipate I am in trouble.
Marc..stress tends to reduce my CH's. I get hit most when I relax. Relaxed is the enemy
fubar...beast likes to attack as soon as my stress level begins to decline
west17m..I'll agree with Don and Fubar
kim..following stress or the winding down that seems to attract an attack
cootie..attacks hit him after he wound down from a rather stressful vacation
Roxy..The only attack I get that comes on schedule is at 3am
JDH...started a month after one of the most stressful times of my life ended
Jarvis...I dont think I have ever had a CH when stressed

Stay stressed. Never relax. Ever.

Title: Re: Stress
Post by Opus on Feb 11^th, 2003, 12:31am

Bob,
You forgot never sleep!
Opus :P

Title: Re: Stress
Post by BobG on Feb 11^th, 2003, 12:46am

Ooops.......

I'm just so tired from staying awake for the last 29 years. ::)

Title: Re: Stress
Post by Mastifflvr28 on Feb 11^th, 2003, 1:47am

Rox...maybe if you gave a flying f*ck, you'd have less ha's??
Just a thought :)

AFTER stress is a factor for me :)
Mast

Title: Re: Stress
Post by barbee on Feb 11^th, 2003, 5:48am

Stress and fear. Stress is pressure, and fear is anticipation. They are closely related, and which comes first?
Even tho the beast hits us at 3 AM, could it be a delayed reaction to fear/stress? When we have problems, some of us look outwardly cool, but inside we are tense and shivering. Then it takes two hours of sleep to calm our quivering psyche.
Curious

Title: Re: Stress
Post by JDH on Feb 11^th, 2003, 8:05am

This is intersesting. I never realized stress could be a good thing. I hadn't even really thought about this cycle coming on the heels of a stressfull time, I just figured it was that time of year.

Title: Re: Stress
Post by das on Feb 11^th, 2003, 9:12am

You guys rock!

I used to box, as in boxing. No, I didn't start getting CHs after I started getting hit in the head. (People always ask me that) They came on years before. While I was training most intensively (I stopped permanently because I have trouble with my wrists and hands now and sporadically during that time because of various injuries) I didn't have a shadow or anything for almost 2 years !

Boxing was the biggest stress reliever for me. I would work out for 1.5-2 hours, 3-4 times a week and I had never felt better in my life. Now that I work from home and spend most of my time on the phone, sitting in front of my PC, I am a lot more stressed and have no outlet for it. After boxing for almost 5 years, I am having trouble finding sports that are as challenging an intense.

A little background... I first got CHs when I started University. Litrerally 2 weeks after starting and realizing that I had picked a very hard program (modern languages.. I was studying German, French and Danish) I started getting these terrible HAs. I ended changing programs, but by then I was well into my first cycle...

2 years ago, in August I started a new, high pressure, sales job and within a month I staretd getting the worst CHs I had ever experienced. I was getting 11s everyday... I left that job and within a week...no joke... the CHs were gone...

In the end, I realize that the beast has a million faces. There seems to be no continuity to what meds work and don't work, causes of CHs etc... How do you stop soemthing you can't recognize?

Thanks again...

Title: Re: Stress
Post by Bob_Johnson on Feb 11^th, 2003, 9:13am

If you will send me (privately) your e-mail address I send a piece I wrote for the OUCH site on this issue.

bjohnson8@earthlink.net

Title: Re: Stress
Post by shipo on Feb 11^th, 2003, 9:40am

This thread brings up so many questions..maybe we should have a survey here ???
I myself would be classed as not your average relaxed person,agoraphobia/panic disorder since 1983 and CH's starting around that time also.
Would everyone say that us CH sufferers are more stressed then any non sufferer ???
Is there something we all have in common that could point to a reason for the torture we go through?
I'm a heavy smoker,fairly fond of the odd beer or three and as i stated a bit of a fucked up nervous case.
In my situation the nervousness was always there,the smoking came next followed closely by the booze,then Ch's.
Now i'm confusing myself and have no friggin idea where i'm going with this ::) i'm just looking for answers like we all are i guess.Surely there must be some similarities we can pinpoint that relate to the majority of us clusterheads ???
Wishing you all PFDAN
shipo (paul)

Title: Re: Stress
Post by catlind on Feb 11^th, 2003, 10:33am

das,

I do not believe stress is a cause at all. There is a great deal of evidence to show that these are caused by a deformity/growth/change in the hypothalamus.

I am however a stress "triggered" CH'er. Negative stress and anxiety will trigger an attack for me almost every time when I'm in cycle. Positive stress however does not, i.e. working on a project that I enjoy or love doing that has deadlines or things like that.

Cat

Title: Re: Stress
Post by ozzman on Feb 11^th, 2003, 1:17pm

Das,
I too believe that CHs are stress / sleep disruption related. Mind you, I'm not referring to day to day stress, but "unusual" stress. When (in my case) the stress / sleep disruption lasts a month or so (it is usually after a month that the stress has started) then my cycle kicks in. I have had relatively long PF periods 2 - 3 years and then my first child is born, I get hit. No pain for over a year and a particularly stressful time at work, got hit. My second child is born, month after, got hit.

So yes I do believe that stress is a factor and it has something to do with the hypothalamus.

"The hypothalamus is a complex brain structure located deep in the brain. It is involved in the regulation of many important brain chemicals, including the following:
Serotonin and norepinephrine. These are neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain) that are involved with well-being and appetite.

Cortisol (stress hormones).

Melatonin (related to sleep).

Beta endorphins (involved with pain).

Nerve clusters that regulate the body's biologic rhythms (its circadian rhythms). "

Ozzy

Title: Re: Stress
Post by totka on Feb 11^th, 2003, 1:20pm

... and lack of stress too!

Title: Re: Stress
Post by echo on Feb 11^th, 2003, 1:25pm

on 02/10/03 at 17:38:08, fubar wrote:

Stress is good. Embrace the stress. Love it. Touch it. Taste it. Stress is your friend.

-Fu

Hey FU -- how about sharing what you're smoking ;D

Title: Re: Stress
Post by ave on Feb 11^th, 2003, 1:39pm

Ozzman,

I have had clusters only the last few years. But I have always had what I thought were sleep problems, some seasons more than most.

I sleep very little and when I am in one of these cycles I sleep very badly, and this is not stress related. If I am under high stress I tend to sleep better.

My take on this is that very probably sleep problems and clusters are related - because they have the same underlying cause!

That hypothalamus that is out of whack is also the thingy that regulates our wake/sleep rythmes. To me sleep probs are a sign the hypothalamus is winding up for a "nice" bit of cluster cycle.

Title: Re: Stress
Post by jmorgan52 on Feb 12^th, 2003, 7:59am

For me the Ch comes AFTER stress, but this may still mean that stress build up is the cause and when the stress goes - wham CH.

This past 9 months I have had losts of pressure in my life but it has not resulted in me feeling stressed. Hence no headaches. Reason? I reckon its due to more exercise, healthier eating, and lots and lots of water to keep the liver clean.

Clean liver = no stress = no headaches. (IMHO)

The hypothalmus theory may well be true, but what is the cause of these abnormalities? Toxic liver?

John

Title: Re: Stress
Post by JDH on Feb 12^th, 2003, 8:20am

Clean liver = no stress = no headaches. (IMHO)

I'm screwed :-/

Title: Re: Stress
Post by AKH on Feb 12^th, 2003, 8:44am

hello all

I often get a CH when a stressful situation becomes less stressful. It almost seems as though my body knows it needs to perform when the pressure is on, but as soon as it eases off the CH hits me.

yeah, Cortisol is the main stress hormone, and when cortisol is high, serotonin is low. Which can lead to CH.

Title: Re: Stress
Post by Charlie on Feb 13^th, 2003, 5:17am

A late welcome to our worlds.

As for stress, my cluster attacks ended at the most stressul time of my life in 1991 and have yet to return. All I hope is that others have such good fortune.

Stick around. Lots of good things here; cluster related and not.

Charlie

Title: Re: Stress
Post by suzy617 on Feb 13^th, 2003, 6:50am

I envy you Charlie but your still not gonna share your secret with the rest of us on how you ended CH, are ya? C'mon, give it up.... ;)

suzy

Title: Re: Stress
Post by shipo on Feb 13^th, 2003, 8:38am

on 02/13/03 at 06:50:08, suzy617 wrote:

I envy you Charlie but your still not gonna share your secret with the rest of us on how you ended CH, are ya? C'mon, give it up.... ;)

suzy

I'm sure if Charlie knew the answer to that all of us would be dancing a different dance :)
Then again we never would have been fortunate enough to meet such wonderful friends here,i believe there's a reason for everything in life...but hey just my opinion.
PFDAN
shipo(paul)