Hi, Thanks for writing in. It is possible that your symptoms of severe pain in the head and neck regions are due to irritation of nerve roots in the cervical spine. This is known as radiculopathy. It happens due to nerve root irritation due to slight movements including when you are asleep. This causes pressure on nerves roots and pinching of the nerves. This is followed by sudden shooting pain from the neck to the head and can also be experienced behind the eyes. Please avoid use of pillows when sleeping and sleep on a hard mattress. Avoid making sudden head and neck movements. If you feel severe pain at night then apply a little ointment containing pain reliever and muscle relaxant. Please discuss treatment available for degenerative cervical disc disease with your doctor and if surgery might help. Please do not worry.