No wonder we pace back and forth, unable to relax, sleep or concentrate. We literally bang our heads against walls, as that pain is a relief. In the case of chronic sufferers there is no cluster free period. This sometimes complicates diagnosis and treatment, as treatments are seldom the same for clusters and migraines. Some of the worst pain is reported to be when it's located next to the eye at the temple.
Attacks often come on during the night.
The individual may have headache-free periods of months or even years between clusters. Lying down during an episode exacerbates the pain. Cluster headaches are not associated with the gastrointestinal disturbances or sensitivity to light that are found with other vascular headaches, such as migraine. A cluster comes on very quickly. It reaches its peak pain level very rapidly, generally within five or ten minutes.