Last night I was laying in bed with a 6/10 cluster headache. I get them seasonally, a couple months around summer and a couple around winter. I've been getting them again this last week.

While laying there, I was rubbing my forehead while waiting for the headache to subside and let me sleep.

While rubbing my brow near the bridge of my nose, I heard the loud sound of my sinus clearing. It's hard to describe the sound but it was like a "sqqqquuuueeee." The sound came from my upper sinus, closer to my eyes and maybe even above them.

Immediately, my headache went from a 6 to a 1, and the pain went away entirely over the next few minutes.

I don't know what this means for cluster sufferers in general, but it makes sense that stuff in the sinus could be a trigger given the correlation between cluster sufferers and smokers.

I did a little research and found a few studies concluding a link between sinus issues and cluster headaches.

I just thought I'd share in case it gives anyone any ideas on a cure. I'm of the belief that there may be multiple causes for cluster headaches, and that this is linked to one of them. I wouldn't be excited about it if the pain relief wasn't so immediate! I'm also curious if anyone else has noticed a link between the two. I can say that in my past, my cluster headaches typically get worse when I've got a cold or a stuffy nose.

I'm going to try taking some Mucinex next time I have a cluster headache too, and see if that has any benefit.

There is quite a bundle of unappreciated literature about conditions which mimic Cluster.

Look under: Medications,  Treatments,  Therapies -› Important Topics ->Cluster-LIKE headache

Yes, I've read it.

Hiya Garmy...welcome aboard...sorry ya have to be here...but it is the RIGHT place.

Coupla comments:

The history of CH diagnosis by the medical profession is redundant with "sinus infection/problem"
and treatment for same. Sometimes it even "works".....well....the cluster cycle ends
during treatment....and viola...success?!

That said...my belief...and others... that CH and allergies are interrelated in some way...and
treatments for one "may" help with the other....

I have experienced EXACTLY the "draining" you describe...having been subject to sinus problems
for most of my life. Tis a remarkable feeling...one of AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! ...closest feeling I've ever had is the "pain drain" of a clusterhit leaving as if plug pulled from tub of water. Tho the sinus part,
in my case, not related to start, middle or end of a hit. Mucinex does help me with  allergy congestion.

Re "correlation" between smoking and ch...be careful...most smokers are not clusterheads...not all clusterheads are/were smokers....quitting smoking does not seem to affect CH (for most anyway)...logically, since smoking constricts blood vessels it should be beneficial for a clusterheads....and... it has be speculated that smoking doesn't cause ch but clusterheads may have a proclivity to smoking and/or other addictive behaviors (or so I've seen said...) so the opposite side
of correlation...............dunno.

Keep us advised...

Best

Jon

CH causes my sinus to clog up too.

Chicken - egg?

Over the years many sufferers have posted they take an allergy pill, or is that an anti-allergy pill, before bed time to keep the REM sleep attacks away.

Garmy wrote, Last night I was laying in bed with a 6/10 cluster headache. I get them seasonally, a couple months around summer and a couple around winter. I've been getting them again this last week.

While laying there, I was rubbing my forehead while waiting for the headache to subside and let me sleep.

While rubbing my brow near the bridge of my nose, I heard the loud sound of my sinus clearing. It's hard to describe the sound but it was like a "sqqqquuuueeee." The sound came from my upper sinus, closer to my eyes and maybe even above them.

Immediately, my headache went from a 6 to a 1, and the pain went away entirely over the next few minutes.

Laying in bed is not an option when having a kip 6-10 CH!

Hoppy

When I was episodic, cigarette smoke would set me off instantly. When I went chronic, that and alcohol didn't bother me a bit.

I do agree that it would be almost impossible to lay in bed while getting hit. My nose gets a little congested on the hit side. I don't find the hits to be sinus related. YMMV.

My nose gets stuffy on the hit side, too. My eye feels a little swollen sometimes as well.

I have a pretty high pain tolerance overall, but I'm also not sure that my CH are as bad as most. I can't relate to the claims that it's as bad as child birth, but I definitely can't work or do anything that requires any amount of concentration (including watching/listening to tv). About twice a season, I get a CH that's so bad I'm writhing and pacing, but most of the time it just feels like an ice pick is lodged in there and all I can do is find a room without distraction and do my best to meditate until its over.

I've been experimenting when I get CHs with sinus-related pressure points - specifically the ones around my eyes. Ive found that the headaches dont last as long, and a couple more times, I felt my upper sinus areas 'drain' and the pain immediately subside. This is happening even when I don't feel or notice any sinus problems. I've also noticed that when I have a bit of a cold, the CHs are worse, except for when my mucus is especially runny and I go days without an attack.

If others could also experiment with sinus pressure points and report their findings, that would help a lot. I want to know if this is specific to me, or if it can help others. For the first time in the 15 years that I've been getting these headaches, I feel hopeful.