Alarm clock headache


Alarm clock headache: A relatively rare form of headache in which the patient is awakened from sleep at the same time every night, usually between 1 and 3 o’clock, with intense dull or throbbing pain over the whole head. Each episode may last up to 1 hour and be associated with nausea. Similar episodes may occasionally strike in the daytime. The disorder almost always affects people over 65.

The precise cause of alarm clock headaches is unknown but there is evidence that the disorder is related to REM sleep. The first treatment option is lithium. If it is not effective or is not tolerated, indomethacin, flunarizine, and caffeine may be useful. In the medical literature, the condition is called hypnic headache.

Read Also:

  • Alb-

    Alb-: Prefix from the Latin “albus” meaning “white.” As in albino and albinism. The term “albino” was first applied by the Portuguese to “white” people they encountered in West Africa. Those “white” people probably had partial or complete albinism, an inherited lack of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes.

  • Albinism

    Albinism: A group of genetic disorders in which there is partial or total lack of the pigment melanin in the eyes, skin, and hair. See also: Albinism, oculocutaneous; Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome.

  • Albinism and hemorrhagic diathesis

    Albinism with hemorrhagic diathesis and pigmented reticuloendothelial cells: See: Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome.

  • Albinism, oculocutaneous

    Albinism, oculocutaneous: An hereditary disorder characterized by deficiency of the pigment melanin in the eyes, skin and hair. The lack of eye pigment causes photophobia (sensitivity to light), nystagmus, and decreased visual acuity. Oculocutaneous albinism is conventionally classified as to whether it is tyrosinase-negative or tyrosinase-positive. In the tyrosinase-negative class, there is absence of the […]

  • Albino

    Albino: A person with albinism. The term was first applied by the Portuguese to people in West Africa, who may have had partial or complete albinism.


Disclaimer: Alarm clock headache definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.