From Wakefulness to Sleep: Migraine and Hypnic Headache Association in a Series of 23 Patients

Abstract

A history of migraine is common in HH patients in our series. Most frequent transition pattern was an immediate change between both syndromes. Hypnic headache and migraine might share a common pathophysiological predisposition.

Long‐Term Outcomes and Clinical Characteristics of Hypnic Headache Syndrome: 40 Patients Series From a Tertiary Referral Center

“…History of migraine has been reported to be as high as 69.5% in one case series of HH patients . The incidence of concomitant migraine headaches was 50% in this series.…”

“…This observation has been previously noted as well. 3,4,11 We also report 2 uncommon observations in regards to treatment of HH. First is the benefit some of our patients experienced from taking caffeine at the time they were awakened by the HH.…”

“…All but 2 of our cases reported fewer than 10 days of HH a month. This observation has been previously noted as well …”

“…HH is a rare disorder. Delays have been reported in the diagnosis, sometimes for years, 3,4 which prolongs suffering in these patients, especially given the fact that these headaches do not typically respond to conventional anti-migraine prophylaxis. We also found a mean delay of 4 years from the time of headache onset until diagnosis.…”

Associations Between Sleep Quality and Migraine Frequency

“…In this study, many of the patients would “wake up in the middle of the night or early morning.” A previous study found that most patients with hypnic headaches have a history of migraine or coexisting migraine. 46 Additionally, it has been reported that migraine is a sleep-related headache and that migraine-related symptoms may disturb sleep quality. In our study, although we carefully ruled out the presence of hypnic headache, “Waking up in the middle of the night or early morning” may be one of the sleep-related symptoms of migraine.…”