Posted by T. P. (152.163.195.208) on July 21, 1999 at 01:46:22:
I know this is a touchy subject, but it's something I have been thinking a lot about, and wanted to share what I have been wondering...
First of all, most of the people on this board get CH's after they go to sleep right? At the beginning of REM sleep, right?
I don't. I am one of the "lucky" people who gets them upon waking (sometimes immediately, especially when I sleep late, and sometimes not, but usually within two hours of waking) Does anybody else get them after waking, and not during sleep?
You might be wondering "what does this have to do with laying down during a CH?" I don't know, but I have a few shot-in-the-darks on it.
For example, I can often lay down during a CH, if it is a mild one (say at 5 to 7 on the Kip scale). I have found that in some instances trying to fall back to sleep will keep the shadows from getting too bad.
I read somewhere that the hypothalamus (which is believed to be a key factor in CH's) is like a clock, perhaps telling your body when to go to sleep or wake up. For all of you who get the attacks at night, I was wondering if the hypothalamus is having trouble "turning the body off". And for me, the pain might be caused by the hypothalamus trying to "turn the body back on".
Now, there's a pretty good chance that a real neurologist would laugh at my "theory", but I believe that we have a great forum here, and all seem to be gifted with excellent problem-solving skills. We have a chance here to figure out more about CH, and I would love to hear more about fellow sufferers.
Thanks!