- With Mayo Clinic neurologist
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Dr. Jerry Swanson is a board-certified neurologist at Mayo Clinic and is a professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He has a special interest in headache disorders and medical education.
Dr. Swanson, a Lacon, Ill., native, was appointed to the Mayo Clinic staff in 1982 and works in the Department of Neurology with about 90 other physicians. He formerly chaired the Headache Division in the Neurology Department at Mayo Clinic and works with headache subspecialists around the world. He has published and lectured widely on headache disorders. He also serves as Assistant Dean for Assessment in Mayo Medical School.
"In a manner similar to the printing press, Internet technology enables the unprecedented ability to communicate with the global community about health information," Dr. Swanson says. "There is no doubt that the knowledgeable individual contributes greatly to his or her own health care, and now we can share information much more widely."
"There is much information already available about health care on the Internet. Unfortunately, much of it is not founded on sound principles. It is exciting to be a part of the MayoClinic.com team and contribute to the creation of a reliable and timely health resource."
Dr. Swanson is the neurology editor for "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and has reviewed articles for "Mayo Clinic Health Letter" and "Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource." He is also editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic on Headache" book, published in 2004. In 2008 the magazine "Women's Health" named him one of America's Top Doctors for Women.
Definition (1)
- Ocular migraine: What causes it?
Causes (2)
- Nighttime headaches: What causes them?
- Migraine headaches: Are they triggered by weather changes?
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Occipital nerve stimulation: Effective migraine treatment?
- Migraine medications and antidepressants: A risky mix?
- Migraine treatment: Can antidepressants help?
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Question
Nighttime headaches: What causes them?
What causes nighttime headaches?
Answer
from Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Nighttime headaches can have many causes.
Sometimes migraines and cluster headaches awaken a person from sleep. In other cases, nighttime headaches are actually hypnic — or "alarm clock" — headaches. Hypnic headaches begin only during sleep, usually awakening the person at the same time every night. Some people also have daytime naps interrupted by hypnic headaches.
Hypnic headaches are most common after age 50. The pain can be mild to moderate and usually lasts from 15 minutes to two hours, but occasionally longer. The exact cause of hypnic headaches isn't known.
Less common but more serious causes of nighttime headaches may include:
- A sleeping disorder in which breathing repeatedly starts and stops (sleep apnea)
- Inflammation of the arteries in the head (giant cell arteritis)
- Bleeding on the surface of the brain (subdural hematoma)
- Brain tumor
If you have nighttime headaches or headaches that awaken you from sleep, see your doctor. Headaches are typically diagnosed based on a person's medical history and specific signs and symptoms. In some cases, imaging tests — such as computerized tomography — are needed as well. Treatment varies, depending on the type of headache and any underlying causes.
Next questionMigraine headaches: Are they triggered by weather changes?
- Cutrer FM. Hypnic headache. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 14, 2008.
- Sanders MH, et al. Patient information: Sleep apnea. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 14, 2008.
- Hunder GG. Patient information: Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell (temporal) arteritis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 14, 2008.
- McBride W, et al. Subdural hematoma: Etiology, clinical features, and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 14, 2008.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Patient information: Headache causes and diagnosis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 14, 2008.
