I think I'm in my first cycle, started in late December, peaked in January, and has been on a very slow decline. Even had some days where I thought it was gone. I'm thinking it may have been two or more cycles back to back based on my symptoms. Anyway, the nighttime willies woke me up nearly every night. I'm tired. So now, I notice I just wake up, and feel like the pain just exited, but I never really feel the bad pain. I think I'm so groggy, I dont' realize the bad pain, but it just wakes me up. Anyone else have this happen?

When I wake up, it's not just a wake up, it's almost always accompanied by that, what I describe as, residual headache pain I usually get after those severe headaches. I'm also a heavy sleeper; basically, if you punched me in the face in my sleep, I'd wake up and be in pain,  but never know you punched me; if that makes sense.

I've reasonably addressed this issue with a prescription for Ambien.  It won't block night attacks, it just makes me drowsy enough to quickly return to sleep between attacks.  Additionally it helps me gain sleep when my body's clock has become too accustomed to waking during those hours that attacks normally occur.    My only observation - if you take it less than 4 hours before you have to get up it can make you feel a little groggy.

Discuss this option with your doctor.  It has been a blessing for me in that it helps me obtain much needed sleep without the drug becoming a requirement for sleep.

burnt-toast
(Tom)   

I suspect that your cycle is on its way out.

After a CH cycle has run its course, I frequently wake up--briefly--during every period of REM sleep throughout the night.  This pattern usually lasts a few weeks, then goes away.

REM sleep is typically when I get hit. 

Whether the after-cycle waking is caused by some internal CH-related mechanism that has not yet run its course even though the cycle has ended, or whether it's simply that I'm "gunshy" of sleep after 6 weeks of purgatory, I don't know.

YMMV.

Best,

George