Why Your School-Age Child Keeps Getting Headaches

Children commonly get headaches, but when occasional pain turns into frequent headaches, it’s time to seek help and learn how to treat the problem.

Our caring team at THINK Neurology for Kids — Shaun S. Varghese, MD, Cristina R. Marchesano, MD, Michelle E. Nwosu, MD, Lorena Herbert, MD, Barbara Kiersz-Mueller, DO, Lauren Weaver, MD, Alicia Walls, MD, Sundeep Mandava, MD, Una Childers, PA-C, MPAS, Jennifer E. Martin, CPNP-PC, Tammy DeLaGarza, FNP-C, and Robby Korah, FNP-C — has extensive experience providing customized care for children’s headaches.

Here, we explore the top reasons children struggle with headaches.

About recurring and chronic headaches

Tension headaches and migraines, two common headaches in children, can become recurrent or chronic problems. Though headache frequency varies for each child, we diagnose chronic headaches (tension and migraines) when their pain appears 15 or more times a month.

Recurring tension headaches often develop as a result of the problems listed below. Migraines are different. Many parents don’t realize that school-age children can have these excruciating headaches, causing symptoms like nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, sensitivity to light, and head pain.  

Migraines begin due to a trigger, such as:

• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Hormonal changes
• Skipping meals
• Weather changes
• Medications
• Certain foods

Lunch meat, hot dogs, and caffeine-containing products like chocolate and cola are some of the top food triggers.

Top causes of children’s recurring headaches

Let’s explore the seven most common causes of ongoing headaches:

Stress and anxiety

Unfortunately, children frequently endure days filled with stress and anxiety. You may not know about your child’s stress if they’re too young to recognize and talk about their feelings. Instead, you may see signs like irritability, anger, and fear. 

Anything in your child’s day can cause stress, whether it seems like a positive or negative event. A few examples include peer pressure, bullying, an upcoming test, changes in routine, and an invitation to a party.

Dehydration

Your child may have a dehydration headache when playing outside in hot weather, don’t drink enough fluids, or have an illness that causes excessive vomiting or diarrhea.

Lack of sleep

While your child sleeps, their brain and body perform essential jobs, like clearing waste from the brain and restoring energy. Children who don’t get enough sleep or whose sleep is disrupted, because they wake during the night have a high risk of recurring migraines and tension headaches.

Eyestrain

Eyestrain often causes headaches. Your child may have eyestrain if they need glasses or spend a lot of time playing video games, watching TV, or using their computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Concussion (mild traumatic brain injury)

Children can easily develop a concussion, whether they take an accidental fall at the playground and bump their heads or participate in athletic activities and take a direct hit to their body. 

Unfortunately, parents may not always know when their child suffers a mild head injury because they may not have obvious symptoms.

Headaches are one of the most common concussion symptoms. And if your child’s concussion isn’t recognized and treated, they may have headaches lasting for months.

Underlying health conditions

A wide range of medical and developmental conditions increase your child’s risk of having ongoing headaches. Health concerns known to cause headaches include:

• Epilepsy (or seizure disorder)
• Sinus infections
• Seasonal allergies
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Chiari malformations
• Cerebral palsy
• Dental problems
• Teeth grinding
• Sleep disorders
• Temporomandibular jaw (TMJ) disorders
• Cyclic vomiting syndrome (sudden, recurrent episodes of vomiting)

One in four children with ADHD has frequent headaches, either as a co-occurring disorder or as a result of medications for treating the condition.

Brain tumors

Brain tumors belong in the list of underlying health conditions. Still, we want to mention them separately because many parents fear that frequent or repeated headaches indicate a benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) growth.

While a headache is one of the primary symptoms of a brain tumor, about 4,000 children and teens (out of 73 million) are diagnosed with brain and spinal cord tumors yearly. We always consider the possibility of a brain tumor, but your child’s overall risk is minimal.

Don’t wait to schedule an evaluation if your child has recurring or severe headaches, or headaches together with a fever, stiff neck, vomiting, confusion, or excessive sleepiness. 

Call THINK Neurology for Kids at their office in The Woodlands, Katy, Sugar Land, or Lakeway, Texas, or request an appointment online immediately.