Back to School, Back to Headaches

Article by healthybalance.com staff
Posted on September 01, 2010

Do your children complain of headaches when they go back to school? Well, they might not just be looking to cut class. According to doctors, more children actually do experience headaches during the school year. “Kids shouldn’t be missing activities and having trouble at school because they’re having headaches,” says Dr. Andrew Hershey, director of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital headache center. “If it happens, it shouldn’t be ignored.”

The question is what causes them? Two main causes of headaches are stress and lack of sleep. Physicians agree that changes in a child’s sleep schedule, skipping breakfast, not drinking enough water and weather changes can also trigger headaches―even migraines. Headaches are an indication that something isn’t right with the body. Whether it’s dehydration, need for nutrition, sinus pressure, fatigue or stress, headaches are symptoms of underlying conditions.

More sleep.

As children adapt to the start of the school year, many radically change their sleeping schedules. According to the National Sleep Foundation, children in elementary school should be getting ten to eleven hours of good sleep each night. The foundation also reports, “Teens are among those least likely to get enough sleep; while they need on average 9 1/4 hours of sleep per night for optimal performance, health and brain development, teens average fewer than 7 hours per school night by the end of high school, and most report feeling tired during the day.”

Activities at school and with friends plus a heavy homework load make this a near impossibility. To make matters worse, the teenage body clock is naturally set on night owl status. In a perfect world, high schools wouldn’t start classes until 10 or 11 a.m. Do your best to ensure that your teen gets enough sleep on weeknights. Encourage them to take a 20 minute power nap after school, if possible, and let them catch up on rest over the weekends.

*Less stress. *

Stress is the next culprit in headaches. School stresses kids out in a multitude of ways. Pressure from peers to fit in, pressure from teachers to behave, pressures from coaches to suck it up and pressures from parents to excel can load kids down with more stress than their bodies can handle. One result of that stress can be headache.

How can kids relieve stress? One proven method of stress relief is exercise. Invite your kids to join you for a daily walk to the park. Push little ones on a swing or give them a spin on the merry-go-round. Engage older kids in a leisurely game of catch or Frisbee. Prayer and meditation can also relieve stress. Depending on your faith background, encourage kids to join you for some quiet time spent this way.

Few kids will say no to a foot, hand or face massage—and all of these are great stress busters, even if you’re not a trained masseuse. Even spending a little time brushing their hair or gently rubbing their shoulders before bed can encourage relaxation. On the contrary, TV, video games and computer time do not relieve stress, they simply postpone the experience of it.

Good food.

Another big stressor today is the standard American diet (SAD). Caffeinated energy drinks, soda pop, sugary treats, fast foods and prepared foods laced with MSG and other chemical additives further stress the body and brain. Food made in a laboratory or factory is never as healthful as fresh food grown in the ground or grazed on a local farm. Start your kids’ day with a good breakfast, whether that’s a quick yogurt and frozen fruit blender smoothie or a couple links of sausage on whole grain toast.

Pack a healthy lunch that includes whole grains, chemical-free protein sources (meat, egg, fish or cheese) and a fresh fruit or vegetable. Skip the packaged treats―they get enough of those from other sources. Serve simple, made-from-scratch suppers. (A simple stir-fry can take you less time than waiting in the drive through lane.) Set out fruit and cut-up vegetables, cheese cubes and whole grain crackers as snacks. Food allergies can also trigger headaches. Is the school lunchroom serving something that may be at fault?

“(Kids who get headaches) are often staying up late to study and getting up early to get to school and frequently skipping meals,” says Dr. Philip Overby, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. “I can’t say it’s typical that you can completely cure headaches just by lifestyle measures alone, but if you don’t address those things as well you’ll never be able to control them.”

Simple, safe headache relief

Acupressure. Apply pressure to this series of acupressure points: under the eye sockets near the nose; at the top of the eye sockets; to the outside edge the eye socket; ¼ inch above eyebrows; 1 inch up from the eyebrows; move up the forehead; switch to the back of the neck. Massage neck at one inch points down to the shoulders.

Topical remedies. Rub a few drops of essential oil of peppermint on the temples. Try an ice pack on the forehead or back of the neck. Use over-the-counter topical headache compresses.

Herbal remedies. Feverfew is a traditional home remedy for headache. Steep the dried herb as tea (eight hours of steeping brings out the best results) or use a tincture mixed in water per your alternative practitioner’s instructions. Butterbur has been used with success as an herbal remedy for migraines.

A word to the wise: frequent use of over-the-counter pain relievers can set off a rebound effect, leading to more headaches. Prescription strength headache relief also presents a boat-load of possible side effects. Read the entire drug insert before agreeing to give these powerful medications to your children.