Hypnic headache is another, more remote possibility. These headaches are marked by painful attacks that occur at night, waking the person. Pain occurs on both sides of the head and may be accompanied by nausea. There are often one or two episodes per night, each lasting five to 60 minutes. A dose of lithium prevents further attacks, Saper has found.
Brain tumor is a remote possibility.
Still, fear of a brain tumor brings in many patients. Saper says he is less likely to hear the fears about brain tumors, mostly because by the time patients get to his specialized clinic, they already have seen their primary care doctor. There's more understanding of headache in older adults than in years past, Saper says. For instance, specialists recently have found that the neck may play a role in headaches in the later years. Cervical arthritis, for instance, might be a headache trigger and can be relieved by treatment of the arthritis.