When your child gets a headache, you get worried. What is the first question that comes to your mind? Are they feeling sick? Are they dehydrated? Or is there a serious issue? Is now the time you should worry?
Whenever children get headaches, it’s natural to think about the worse-case scenarios. Many parents even worry that maybe it’s a sign of their brain tumors. Some link it to serious medical conditions.
The good news is that most headaches that kids experience are not serious.
They get headaches due to poor lifestyle choices and not because something is wrong with their brain.
Let’s learn the common causes and types of headaches in children –
Causes of headaches
A headache is a pain that your children experience on their head or face. Other than the pain, headaches can even affect your child’s daily routine and their ability to pay attention to their regular activities.
Kids’ can suffer from headaches due to lifestyle, physical, environmental, or psychological factors.
These factors can include –
- Dehydration
- Lack of sleep
- Irregular eating or skipping meals
- Poor postures
- Stress
- Illness
- Anxiety
- Hormone changes
- Too much caffeine intake
Types of headaches
Headaches are usually divided into two groups depending on the causes –
Primary headaches
These are the most common types of headaches. They are not linked with the other health issues but are caused by a problem or overactivity of the pain-sensitive parts of the head.
The three most common primary headaches are –
- Tension headaches – These are most common in children that cause mild to moderate pain. Usually, kids and teens experience this type of headache.
- Migraine headaches – This is the second most common type of headache. It causes severe pain that lasts for hours or even days and often causes pain, vomiting, nausea, sensitivity to loud music, light, and sound. It usually happens when there is a family history of migraines.
- Cluster headaches – It is not as common, but it usually starts in children who are more than 10 years old and is common among male teens. It causes painful headaches that happen frequently and after every three months.
Secondary headaches
These happen due to a problem that arises in the brain structure that causes due to a disease.
It can include chronic illness or side effects from different medications that someone takes for their illness and brain disorders.
When should you worry about your child’s headache?
If your child’s headache is walking them from sleep in the morning or in the middle of night, it’s a red flag.
Other symptoms can include –
- Weakness, tingling or numbness in the arms, legs, hands, and feet.Â
- Frequent headaches that stay more than two days a week.Â
- Changes in vision
- Frequent vomiting
- Headaches after head injuries.
How to treat your child’s headache at home?
If you child is suffering from a headache without any other symptoms, you can manage them easily by ensuring that your child –
- Rests
- Drinks a lot of water
- Avoid food that causes migraines
- Eats regular meals consistently.Â
- Sticks to the regular bedtime routine
- Takes medication or pain reliever immediately
- Takes a deep and relaxing breath
Takeaway
Both adults and children can experience headaches anytime and the pain can range from mild to moderate. For some, the pain can become even severe.
Most causes of headaches are easier to resolve at home, but there are various other reasons that may need medical attention. Treatment for your child’s headache will depend on the cause and possible underlying condition.
So, it is best to take help from a doctor to help your child get out of this problem.
