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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> Air Conditioning???
        
(Message started by: Superirish2005 on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 2:29pm)

Title: Air Conditioning???
Post by Superirish2005 on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 2:29pm

Are there any studies that indicate sleeping with the a/c on helps from getting clusters or lessons the pain if we get one....

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by Bond007 on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 2:39pm

I don't know about any studies or anyone else on the board, but I sleep with my a/c cranked in summers. The whole house gets very frigid at night. And, yet, my CH attacks are getting worse. I'm thinking there's no correlation, at least from my perspective.

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by Guiseppi on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 2:40pm

Haven't seen any such studies but from personal experience cold air reduces the pain level for me. In a pinch I'll crank up the ac in the car and breathe deep through my nose with my face right up against the vent. Others have written about running out into the snow, burying their face in the snow and doing the same thing. Not a cure but it helps a bit.

Guiseppi

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by E-Double on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 2:46pm

10 below and still sitting with my face against the AC

That'll tell ya ;)

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by Superirish2005 on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 3:23pm

Thanks once again for the info. I am thinking of anything these days.

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by kevinpix on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 4:36pm

At my job, I work in 38 degree temps. Love the cold, hate the ride home, no a/c in the truck.

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by Tattoo on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 5:26pm

If I stay in the A.C. nothing changes ,but if I go from outside in the heat then backinto the A.C. it sometimes is a trigger for me .

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by Gator on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 7:18pm

While there have been no studies I know of about sleeping in a/c air helping, there have been studies testing the efficacy of chilled air as an abortive. There have also been studies of oxygen vs chilled air.

It has been found that breathing chilled air can help abort an attack in some cases. Yeah, we already know that from experience here.

Comparisons of chilled air vs. oxygen contradict each other. One says the difference "is highly statistically significant" and finds that oxygen works better.

Quote:

Arch Neurol. 1985 Apr;42(4):362-3.

Treatment of cluster headache. A double-blind comparison of oxygen v air inhalation.

Fogan L

Nineteen men, aged 20 to 50 years, were treated in a double-blind crossover study comparing oxygen v air inhalation at 6 L/min via nonrebreathing face masks for 15 minutes or less, for up to six headaches. Patients scored their own degree of relief for each treatment as none, slight, substantial, or complete relief. The average (+/- SE) relief score for all oxygen-treated patients was 1.93 +/- 0.22 out of a possible total score of 3.0, and for air the treatment relief score was 0.77 +/- 0.23. This difference is highly statistically significant by an analysis-of-variance F test; it documents that patients with cluster headache can benefit from oxygen inhalation during acute attacks.

PMID: 3885921

Another study stated "There was no significant difference between the proportion of headaches relieved by oxygen and the proportion of headaches relieved by the air-cooling device." It is hypothesized that the reason oxygen works is because it is cold as it enters the airways.

Quote:

The Journal of headache and pain, Volume 3, Number 1 / April, 2002, pp. 33-36

Cold room air inhalation to abort cluster headaches: an exploratory study

Martha Sue McLeod, Frank Andrasik, Russel C. Packard, Bayard D. Miller

Research has shown that inhalation of pure oxygen is effective in aborting cluster headache. This article advances the hypothesis that cooling is the critical ingredient behind the effectiveness of oxygen inhalation, rather than the oxygen concentration. To test this hypothesis, eight cluster headache participants used a device that delivered cooled room air as a means to abort headache attacks. Additionally, six of the subjects administered pure oxygen so that comparisons could be made to the air-cooling device. The proportion of cases in which subjects attained effective relief from cluster headache pain by use of the air-cooling device was significantly higher than the proportion of cases in which subjects did not attain effective relief from headache pain. There was no significant difference between the proportion of headaches relieved by oxygen and the proportion of headaches relieved by the air-cooling device. This study raises questions about the mechanisms of action of oxygen inhalation for treating cluster headache, and indicates that future clinical investigations into the use of cold room air for treating cluster headache pain are warranted.

These studies used only a small number of clusterheads, so the results would be less than representative of the entire clusterhead population. I think more research needs to be done with a large patient population in double blind, multi-site trials to be more accurate.

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by BB on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 7:24pm

When one feels cold the body will vasoconstric to help maintain body temperature so that may help curbing the swelling of the blood vessels in the head.

My guess its how it works. My DH definitely likes the cold. Its winter now in Australia and sometimes a brisk walk outside in the cold helps him abort a mild attack.

Annette

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by BlueMeanie on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 7:34pm

It won't prevent a CH, but definately helps. The colder the better.

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by SchwarzenSchafe on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 7:48pm

Cold is a semi-effective abortive for me, the only thing I"ve ever really used actually. Source doesn't matter, walk in my boxers in 30 below, frozen bag of beans on the face, cold shower, etc... so air conditioning for me works.

But I see a difference between preventing and aborting with cold... I've never noticed it prevents them. But if I'm already warm, then cooling off sometimes aborts.

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by Jonny on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 7:55pm

on 08/23/06 at 14:40:25, Guiseppi wrote:

Ditto!

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by Charlotte on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 9:00pm

I'm another one who cranks up the car airconditioner and focuses it in my face. Haven't heard of any studies other than the board, here.

It's slightly different topic, but when I splash my face with cold water, I also run cold water on my wrists & lower arms.

Charlotte

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by jon019 on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 9:49pm

It's the cold air drying the sweat which makes a hit a LITTLE more bearable for me. Never reduced pain level.

Jon

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by Mr. Happy on Aug 23^rd, 2006, 9:59pm

See: Cool Air From Fan? (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=chspecific;action=display;num=1156352271) thread.

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by chewy on Aug 24^th, 2006, 6:28am

Cold A/C directly in my face will provide a little relief from an attack but as a preventative? Not a chance.

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by SophiaK on Aug 24^th, 2006, 10:54am

There are so many variables, cold air directly on my face and head will trigger a bad one. Yet some days, a cold compress will help me get through the hit. I don't have a problem with air conditioning, I like to keep the temp around 72 degrees, the dry air is comfortable. Doesn't change the amount of 'hits'. Again that's me.

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by coach on Aug 24^th, 2006, 12:35pm

I used to believe that sudden changes in temperature i.e. walking from A.C. indoors to hot outdoors woud trigger a cluster headache. However, I have found that taking a hot shower and then lying down in a cool room right after helps "diffuse" the headache pain somewhat. I think its because the nerves on your body are stimulated all over and it helps lessen the headace pain. Sometimes I have to get back in the hot shower after lying down if my headache lasts longer than usual..

Title: Re: Air Conditioning???
Post by Katherinecm on Aug 24^th, 2006, 3:47pm

Heat's a trigger for me, and A/C prevents exposure to heat... A/C's my friend!