Frequent headaches and migraines are among the most common childhood health complaints but the problem gets very little attention from parents or even doctors. We often think of migraines as an adult condition but it’s estimated that about 10 percent of young children and up to 28 percent of teenagers suffer from migraines.
Headaches can be even more prevalent as kids head back to school. Getting up early, staying up late to do homework, skipping breakfast and not drinking enough water can all trigger headaches, so it’s important not to ignore your child’s symptoms or assume that they’re faking to get out of school.
“In many areas people just don’t think kids can get migraines,” Dr. Andrew Hershey, professor of pediatrics and neurology and director of the headache center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center told the New York Times. “But kids shouldn’t be missing activities and having trouble at school because they’re having headaches. If it happens, it shouldn’t be ignored.”
Childhood migraine doesn’t always present the same way that adult migraines do, in fact, a child may not have headache pain at all. Be on the look out for abdominal pain, vomiting or feelings of vertigo. Childhood migraines can also be mistaken for sinus headaches because when there is headache pain it can present across the forehead or on both temples rather than the traditional one sided pain that accompanies adult migraine.
Its a good idea to make sure the whole family is drinking enough water and getting enough sleep on a stable sleep pattern, regardless. But, if your child is complaining of frequent headaches, make sure you get them checked out by a doctor who will take their pain seriously. There’s no reason that your kids should lose any of their precious childhood time to headache pain.
