Back to School Headaches

About Back to School Headaches
Findings from Nationwide Children's Hospital physicians demonstrate that headaches increase in fall in children, a trend that may be due to back-to-school changes in stress, routines and sleep as well as eye and vision problems. Although it may be difficult for parents to decipher a real headache from a child just wanting to hold onto summer a little longer and avoid going back to school, there is a variety of other common triggers including poor hydration and prolonged screen time that could contribute to a child’s discomfort. The increase in fall headaches may be attributed to a number of factors, including academic stressors, schedule changes and an increase in extracurricular activity. Other common headache triggers include lack of adequate sleep, skipping meals, poor hydration, too much caffeine in soft drinks, lack of exercise and prolonged electronic screen time. Parents should work with their child's pediatrician to evaluate, manage and prevent headaches. Once these factors are controlled, it is important to be sure that there are no subtle or obvious eye health or vision problems by scheduling a routine eye exam for your child.

If you or someone you know has a child suffering from “back to school” headaches and has addressed the possible causes with your pediatrician, consider whether it is time to schedule an eye exam and please call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google+ or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.