Posted by Matt Beckwith on July 20, 1998 at 23:41:53:
In Reply to: Day/Night cycles posted by Steve Terry on July 20, 1998 at 02:01:18:
Very interesting! I may try this tanning booth
idea.
I think that the link between sleep/wake cycles
and cluster headaches is that clusters are
mediated by serotonin imbalances, and serotonin
is also the neurotransmitter for the reticular
activating system, which controls how sleepy you
feel.
I may have it backward, but I think that when you
are sleepy you have more serotonin. And I think
that when you have a cluster headache, your
serotonin levels are high. Does Imitrex block
serotonin receptors in the brain? I think it
does. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
So it may be more than just amount of daylight.
Perhaps with more daylight you have less melatonin,
but what is the link between melatonin and
serotonin? Perhaps high melatonin causes
sleepiness, meaning more serotonin.
But if the imbalance in your sleep/wake cycles
is not because of inadequate daylight, but rather
by simply not getting enough sleep for example,
then the tanning booth may not work.