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bumpsetspike

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Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Jul 8^th, 2009 at 12:00pm

Hi everybody,

I've only had one cluster period sept. to nov. 2008.

Normally, I'm a student but now that summer has come, I've started working night shifts (like the previous two summers) to make some money.

Taking CH's nature into account, the circadian rythm and all, I just wanted to know if anybody has ever had changed sleeping patterns (night shifts) set off a cycle.

Since I am new CH, I don't know if I'll see the beast again. However, I've begun to feel some throbbing and tingling different places in my head (primarily in my right side, my CH side), and my brain won't stop telling me the beast is coming.

Thanks, Martin

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« Last Edit: Jul 8^th, 2009 at 12:01pm by bumpsetspike »

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McGee

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #1 - Jul 8^th, 2009 at 12:20pm

Hi Martin,
I work night shift and i cant say if working nights has set off a cycle but i do find that its the time when the beast will visit me in work. Mostly though i shadow a lot on nights and the beast waits for me to get home and fall asleep before kicking 7 kinds of crap out of my head. only been hit 3 times in work (all night shift) in my last cycle then averaging around 3 hits when im at home (asleep).

im on night shift this week and been shadowing during the night but no major hit upto now. personally i dont worry too much if i will be hit or when i will be hit i just take it as it comes.

I hope you have lots of PF nights/days/weeks/months and years. keep your chin/chins up and dont let the bed bugs bite.

Mark (scared of the dark)

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Todd D

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #2 - Jul 10^th, 2009 at 7:18am

Hi Martin,

Don't let the beast rule your life. If he shows up again (lets hope he doesn't!!!), then he shows up. If you wait around looking for him, I think you'll end up seeing shadows everywhere you look. Go to work, play, and enjoy your summer off from school.

I would also suggest you speak with your Dr about oxygen. I just started using it and it has been a miracle. Not only because it beats back the beast during a hit, but it also allowed me to stop dreading the next attack. I was getting pretty depressed at the start of this cycle. Knowing I have a weapon to fight with gave me a huge emotional boost.

Read the oxygen info link on the left, and read and print info from this site for your Dr. If he is not familiar with CH, then take the lead and help educate him. My GP was very eager to learn from the research I provided for her.

Hope you keep the beast away!!

Todd

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GrandPotentate

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #3 - Jul 10^th, 2009 at 8:09am

One thing that seems to be a recurring theme is that there is really nothing you can do do make these happen, or to make them not happen. I've had several cycles in springtime, and several springtimes without. I was worried a couple years back about overseas travel (with a major time change) triggering a cycle, but it was not a problem.

Travelling during a cycle is another matter. So are a bunch of other triggers. Generally I find it best if I stick to a very consistent daily routine - then the hits usually come at home where I can deal with them.

Read up on O2, and other tratments. Be prepared to work with the doc if another cycle comes. Meanwhile, enjoy the PF days!

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Charlie

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #4 - Jul 10^th, 2009 at 9:59am

Hi Martin:

In my case, my experience was that two or three times the horror would show up for a day or two off-cycle...usually July or August when I did some travelling with a friend. That fun preview was less than a week, short and not something confined to sleeping though. It would last a few days and disappear until the like-clockwork October visit.

If the beast won't stick to a schedule, here's hoping he'll just stay away for the next 700 years.

Charlie

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monty

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #5 - Jul 10^th, 2009 at 11:37am

Poor sleep hygiene has pushed me into a cycle, and forcing myself to sleep on a regular schedule (with melatonin, if needed) has made my cycles lighter, sometimes it even ends them.

As one reasearcher noted: "Migraine, CH and HH seems to be related to sleep stages suggesting that they may in fact be a chronobiological disorder." And we know that shift work messes with the sleep cycles.

Speaking of sleep, an alarmingly high percent of clusterheads have sleep apnea - given the high health risks from apnea, I think more of us should be getting sleep studies.

Quote:

Investigation into sleep disturbance of patients suffering from cluster headache. Cephalalgia. 2005 Jul;25(7):488-92. Nobre ME, Leal AJ, Filho PM.

The new discoveries relating to cluster headache (CH) encouraged the study of the relationship of the hypothalamus to respiratory physiology and its comorbidity with sleep apnoea. The question is whether the apnoeas are more frequent during REM sleep and the desaturations could be involved as triggers of the cluster attacks. Furthermore, could the connection with the hypothalamus, already proved, be responsible for an alteration in the structure of REM sleep and a chemoreceptor dysfunction. We set out to analyse when polysomnography investigation is necessary in patients with CH. We studied 37 patients suffering from episodic CH, 31 (83.8%) men and six (16.2%) women. For the control group, we selected 35 individuals, 31 (88.6%) men and four (11.4%) women. There was a greater percentage of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in patients with CH (58.3%) compared with the control group (14.3%) and with the general population (2-4%). In cases of pain during sleep, the majority is deflagrated during the REM phase, following a desaturation episode. A stratified analysis of the apnoea/hypnoea index relating to body mass index (BMI) and age showed that patients with CH have 8.4 times more chance of exhibiting OSA than normal individuals (P < 0001). This risk increases to 24.38 in patients with a BMI > 25 kg/m(2) and increases to 13.5 in patients > 40 years old. Surprisingly, the risk decreases sharply in patients with a BMI < 25 kg/m(2) and who are < 40 years old. Due to the fact that polysomnography is a complex, costly and sometimes difficult examination, we suggest, in concordance with the results, that it should be carried out routinely in patients with CH that exhibit a BMI of > 25 kg/m(2) and/or in patients who are > 40 years of age.

PMID: 15955035 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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« Last Edit: Jul 10^th, 2009 at 11:44am by monty »

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kika

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #6 - Sep 11^th, 2009 at 2:35am

I was wondering this myself recently. Being a shift worker, I was interested when I read that the incidence of breast cancer is higher in those who work the night shift. Apparently, the exposure to fluorescent lights causes melatonin not to be released properly and hence impedes sleep. Melatonin is thougt to have some cancer preventative properties. Anyways, I wonder if the fluctuations in melatonin levels for night shift workers in some way signals the hypothalamus causing us to have CHs.....

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Lawrence CH.com Veteran Offline There WILL be a cure Posts: 163 Merrillville, Indiana Gender:	Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle? Reply #7 - Sep 11^th, 2009 at 12:55pm I work a rotating shift...days, then afternoons, then midnites... My cycles have shown no changing effects from my constant rotating schedule.....but u know.....we're all different
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only_me

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #8 - Sep 11^th, 2009 at 9:21pm

My CH always come one hour after I go to sleep. When I was a student that was at night, but now that I work night shifts (7p-7:30a), I only-so far- get them during the day when I sleep. Right now I'm in my first cycle after starting the night shift, so this too may change, but I thought it was odd that it followed me when I changed sleep schedules. I was so worried I'd get them at work, and since I'm a RN at a hospital that could be very inconvenient. So far that has not happened, and if it does..well, at least I'm close to oxygen

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MattyAA CH.com Veteran Offline I Love CH.com! Posts: 242 Poland, EU Gender:	Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle? Reply #9 - Sep 12^th, 2009 at 7:43am only_me wrote on Sep 11^th, 2009 at 9:21pm: and since I'm a RN at a hospital that could be very inconvenient. Sorry to ask but what shortcut RN means? English is not my main language as I am from Poland, but I couldn't figure what it may stand for.
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only_me CH.com Newbie Offline I Love CH.com! Posts: 10	Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle? Reply #10 - Sep 12^th, 2009 at 12:24pm RN= Registered Nurse.
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Lawrence

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #11 - Sep 12^th, 2009 at 4:36pm

only_me wrote on Sep 11^th, 2009 at 9:21pm:

I was so worried I'd get them at work, and since I'm a RN at a hospital that could be very inconvenient. So far that has not happened, and if it does..well, at least I'm close to oxygen

thats my only REAL ISSUE....is having these things at work.....if it wasn't for that, this wouldnt be so bad

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MattyAA

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #12 - Sep 13^th, 2009 at 5:12am

only_me wrote on Sep 12^th, 2009 at 12:24pm:

RN= Registered Nurse. Wink

Ah, thanks for explanation, btw If I may ask. I am having atm small clusters or shadows as I call them, my usual cycle is lasting 2-3 weeks every 2 years in april, and now it goes on for months but it is not beyond kip4 though it annoys me mostly shadows and I use Diclofenac a NSAID, the shadows can be constant for even whole day, I was wondering what is going on, any one have any ideas :<?

The Diclofenac works a bit I think but I am afraid it wont for long and it is not healthy, oh and the pain switches right and left side often, pressuring and hurting my eyeballs and sometimes between eye and noseside.

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« Last Edit: Sep 13^th, 2009 at 5:13am by MattyAA »

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kika

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Re: Can night shifts trigger a new cycle?
Reply #13 - Sep 15^th, 2009 at 2:00am

only_me wrote on Sep 11^th, 2009 at 9:21pm:

My CH always come one hour after I go to sleep. When I was a student that was at night, but now that I work night shifts (7p-7:30a), I only-so far- get them during the day when I sleep. Right now I'm in my first cycle after starting the night shift, so this too may change, but I thought it was odd that it followed me when I changed sleep schedules. I was so worried I'd get them at work, and since I'm a RN at a hospital that could be very inconvenient. So far that has not happened, and if it does..well, at least I'm close to oxygen

I used to get them when I worked in Emerg and could often be found in one of the patient rooms with an O2 mask on

I remember sitting there thinking that I would rather do an entire 12 hour shift in the resusitation room by myself than endure another CH.

BTW, I found the triptans especially useful at work.

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