Does anyone know if there is any relation between clusters and sleep apnea? I have suffered clusters for over 20 yrs. Over 2 years ago I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I did a sleep study and was fitted with a c-pap machine. I have not had an episode  since. I know from experience they can strike at any time. I just thought I would throw this out there to maybe help someone. I have been through the hell of beast and I have grasped at alot of straws. I don't know if this is one but might be worth looking into.

Do a search (above right) on "sleep apnea."

I recently started on a cpap, it does'nt seem to do much for me.  The only thing I have noticed is that I sleep for about two hours before I get hit instead of my normal hour too hour and a half,  but the more sleep I get the less hits I get.  Thats just me hope it works for you, too soon to tell for me.

Cephalalgia. 2003 May;23(4):276-9.

Cluster headache associated with sleep apnoea.

Nobre ME, Filho PF, Dominici M.

Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. eduarda@imagelink.com.br

This study of sleep changes in patients with cluster headache (CH) was conducted in view of the nocturnal predominance of this condition, the efficacy of oxygen and the fact that the attacks follow oxygen desaturation. Proposed mechanisms include impairment of carotid body activity secondary to hypothalamic vasomotor regulatory dysfunction. Sixteen patients with episodic CH and 29 healthy volunteers underwent nocturnal polysomnography. Five (31.3%) patients with episodic CH were found to have sleep apnoea (SA). Two patients with SA experienced two attacks during the study period. The attacks followed episodes of oxygen desaturation and were associated with REM sleep. In two patients with SA and CH, treatment with continuous positive airway pressure abolished their oxygen desaturation, sleep apnoeas and headaches. OUR STUDY CONFIRMED THE HIGH PERCENTAGE OF CH ASSOCIATED WITH SA. WE SUGGEST THAT OXYGEN DESATURATION MAY BE A TRIGGER FACTOR IN SOME PATIENTS AND PLAY A ROLE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF CH.

Publication Types:
Comparative Study

PMID: 12716345 [PubMed]
================
Headache. 2004 Jun;44(6):607-10.  
 
Obstructive sleep apnea and cluster headache.

Graff-Radford SB, Newman A.

The Pain Center, Cedars Sinai Medical Center and UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.

A patient with cluster headache often wakes from sleep. The relationship to sleep apnea has been described. This study sought to confirm the relationship cluster may have with sleep apnea. METHODS: Thirty-nine consecutive patients diagnosed with episodic cluster headache according to the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria were sent for polysomnographic studies. All patients were in an active phase when they were in the study. Patients were told of the proposed relationship and were allowed to choose a sleep laboratory close to their home. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients with episodic cluster headache completed an overnight polysomnographic study. Twenty-three were male and eight female. The average age was 51 years (range 33 to 78 years). The average weight was 173 pounds (range 117 to 260 pounds). A total of 80.64% had sleep apnea (25/31). Average respiratory depression index (RDI) was 19.0 (SD 14.6) with 6 patients having no apnea, 10 having mild, 11 having moderate, and 4 having severe apnea (RDI < 5 = none; RDI 5 to 20 mild; RDI 20 to 40 moderate; RDI > 40 severe). Oxygen saturation decreased on average to 88.4% SD 4.5. Sleep efficiency was 76.2% (SD 13.4). CONCLUSIONS: The data closely approximate those of Chervin et al, where 80% had RDI > 5.

THE RELATIONSHIP SLEEP APNEA HAS IN THE PERPETUATION OR PRECIPITATION OF CLUSTER HEADACHE IS STILL TO BE DETERMINED. THERE ARE SOME REPORTS THAT TREATMENT STOPS THE CLUSTER BUT THERE IS NO PROSPECTIVE STUDY. THE HIGH INCIDENCE (80.64%) SEEN IN THIS POPULATION SUGGESTS THE CLUSTER PATIENT SHOULD RECEIVE A SLEEP EVALUATION AND PERHAPS INTERVENTION WITH CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE (CPAP) OR AN APPROPRIATE DENTAL DEVICE.

PMID: 15186306  

I have had clusters for 29 years.  I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a few years ago, and put on a CPAP.  The machine did nothing to my clusters.

I am glad that it seems to help your clusters.  I hope it continues, and is not just the end of your cycle.

Good luck
Chuck

Me to,

    I have it as well and I am c-pap intolerant so I have to use a bi-pap, I recommend anyone who is currently on a c-pap to switch. The Bi-pap is much easier to sleep with at least for me it is.



Dave  

For me the CPAP machine works fine. It improved my wife's and my own quality of sleep and quality of life a lot because of being less tired during the day. Sleep apnae has to be treated, if not treated this can lead to problems with the heart. For me the CPAP treatment does not seem to have an influence on cluster headaches but when I can't use the CPAP machine e.g. because of a severe cold than there seem to be more more nightly hits. This could also be due to the infection, so I'm not sure what the reason really is.

pf wishes
Friedrich
 

If someone can tolerate CPAP therapy, there is no need for them to switch to bi-pap. I've used both, and CPAP works just fine for me and doesn't keep me awake at all.

Me likey my CPAP. In our house we call it our "sleep-happy" machine. You've heard the phrase, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy?" 'Tis very true, but one of its corollaries is, "If daddy don't sleep happy, ain't nobody sleepin' happy."

Unfortunately, it has had no effect on my CH.

I wonder if the thalamus has yet another item on its list of "things to do": If breathing stops while sleeping, administer a CH-type shock - causing the person to wake up and inhale. And maybe it is because this function went wrong that some of us have CH. (I had sleep apnea when I was a child.)

Just a thought...
RT

I don't snore or even breathe heavy, but when I wake with a CH I'm usually holding my breath - as well as grinding the back of my head.
A cause or result?

JOHN

What is a Bi-Pap and does it differ from a cpap?   I have trouble with my cpap "nasal pillows" slipping off if I move while I am sleeping,  it doesn't matter how tight the straps are it still slips off and the air blowing on my face wakes me up..          Phil

wrote on Sep 30^th, 2008 at 3:29pm:

What is a Bi-Pap and does it differ from a cpap?   I have trouble with my cpap "nasal pillows" slipping off if I move while I am sleeping,  it doesn't matter how tight the straps are it still slips off and the air blowing on my face wakes me up..          Phil

Bi-pap isn't going to keep your pillow system in place any better. What it does is work more like a demand regulator for scuba diving. It doesn't push air at the same rate - it senses when you exhale and then backs off the pressure. It actually is more comfortable when you're still awake. I, however, never noticed any difference once I was asleep, as in regular CPAP doesn't wake me up.

Thanks Brew, I guess I have a Bi-pap I used a regular cpap in my sleep study.         Phil