Do children get migraine headaches? What parents need to know
Headaches are very common in children and teens. In fact, more than half will suffer from headaches at some point, and by 18 years the majority of adolescents have had them. And while most headaches are part of a viral illness, some are migraines. In fact, recurring migraines affect as many as one in 10 children and teens overall.
What should you know — and do — if you think your child or teen may be having migraines?
How early do migraines start to occur?
We don’t tend to think about migraines in children, but by age 10, one in 20 children has had a migraine. And migraines sometimes occur even earlier.
Before puberty, boys and girls are equally likely to have them. After puberty, migraines are more common in girls.
Which migraine symptoms are most common in children?
Migraines are often one-sided in adults. In children they are more likely to be felt on both sides of the head, either in both temples or both sides of the forehead.
While it’s not always easy to tell a migraine from another kind of headache, children
- often report throbbing pain
- may experience nausea and sensitivity to light and noise.
The flashing lights and other vision changes people often see as a migraine begins are less common in children. However, parents may notice that their child is more tired, irritable, or pale before a migraine begins — and takes a while to get back to normal after it ends.
What causes migraines in children?
We don’t know exactly what causes migraines. We used to think it had to do with blood flow to the brain, but that does not seem to be the case. It appears that migraines are caused by the nerves being more sensitive, and more reactive to stimulation. That stimulation could be stress, fatigue, hunger, almost anything.
Migraines run in families. In fact, most migraine sufferers have someone in the family who gets migraines too.
Can migraines be prevented?
The best way to prevent migraines is to identify and avoid triggers. The triggers are different in each person, which is why it’s a good idea to keep a headache diary.
When your child gets a headache, write down what was happening before the headache, how badly it hurt and where, what helped, and anything else about it you can think of. This helps you and your doctor see patterns that can help you understand your child’s particular triggers.
It’s a good idea to make sure your child gets enough sleep, eats regularly and healthfully, drinks water regularly, gets exercise, and manages stress. Doing this not only helps prevent migraines, but is also good for overall health!
How can you help your child ease a migraine?
When a migraine strikes, sometimes just lying down in a dark, quiet room with a cool cloth on the forehead is enough. If it’s not, ibuprofen or acetaminophen can be helpful; your doctor can tell you the best dose for your child.
It’s important not to give your child these medications more than about 14 days a month, as giving them more often can lead to rebound headaches and make everything worse!
Are there prescription medicines that can help children with migraines?
If those approaches aren’t enough, a class of medications called triptans can be helpful in stopping migraines in children ages 6 and up.
If a child experiences frequent or severe migraines, leading to missed days of school or otherwise interfering with life, doctors often use medications to prevent migraines. There are a number of different kinds, and your doctor can advise you on what would be best for your child.
Some girls get migraines around the time of their period. If that happens frequently, sometimes taking a prevention medicine around the time of menses each month can be helpful.
When to contact your doctor
If you think your child might be having migraines, you should call and make an appointment. Bring the headache diary with you. Your doctor will ask a bunch of questions, do a physical examination, and make a diagnosis. Together you can come up with the best plan for your child.
You should always call your doctor, or go to an emergency room, if your child has a severe headache, a stiff neck, trouble with coordination or movement, is abnormally sleepy, or isn’t talking or behaving normally.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has additional useful information about migraines, and how to treat and prevent them, on their website.
About the Author
Claire McCarthy, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
Claire McCarthy, MD, is a primary care pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital, and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. In addition to being a senior faculty editor for Harvard Health Publishing, Dr. McCarthy … See Full Bio View all posts by Claire McCarthy, MD
Why eat lower on the seafood chain?
Many health-conscious consumers have already cut back on hamburgers, steaks, and deli meats, often by swapping in poultry or seafood. Those protein sources are better than beef, and not just because they’re linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Chicken and fish are also better for the environment, as their production uses less land and other resources and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
And choosing seafood that’s lower on the food chain — namely, small fish such as herring and sardines and bivalves such as clams and oysters — can amp up those benefits. “It’s much better for your health and the environment when you replace terrestrial food sources — especially red meat — with aquatic food sources,” says Christopher Golden, assistant professor of nutrition and planetary health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. But instead of popular seafood choices such as farmed salmon or canned tuna, consider mackerel or sardines, he suggests.
Why eat small fish?
Anchovies, herring, mackerel, and sardines are all excellent sources of protein, micronutrients like iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which may help ease inflammation within the body and promote a better balance of blood lipids. And because you often eat the entire fish (including the tiny bones), small fish are also rich in calcium and vitamin D, says Golden. (Mackerel is an exception: cooked mackerel bones are too sharp or tough to eat, although canned mackerel bones are fine to eat).
Small fish are also less likely to contain contaminants such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) compared with large species like tuna and swordfish. Those and other large fish feed on smaller fish, which concentrates the toxins.
It's also more environmentally friendly to eat small fish directly instead of using them to make fish meal, which is often fed to farmed salmon, pork, and poultry. Feed for those animals also includes grains that require land, water, pesticides, and energy to produce, just as grain fed to cattle does, Golden points out. The good news is that increasingly, salmon farming has begun using less fish meal, and some companies have created highly nutritious feeds that don’t require fish meal at all.
Small fish in the Mediterranean diet
The traditional Mediterranean diet, widely considered the best diet for heart health, highlights small fish such as fresh sardines and anchovies, says Golden. Canned versions of these species, which are widely available and less expensive than fresh, are a good option. However, most canned anchovies are salt-cured and therefore high in sodium, which can raise blood pressure.
Sardines packed in water or olive oil can be
- served on crackers or crusty, toasted bread with a squeeze of lemon
- prepared like tuna salad for a sandwich filling
- added to a Greek salad
- tossed with pasta, either added to tomato sauce or with lemon, capers, and red pepper flakes.
Golden is particularly fond of pickled herring, which you can often find in jars in supermarkets, or even make yourself; here’s his favorite recipe.
Bivalve benefits
Bivalves are two-shelled aquatic creatures that include clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops. Also known as mollusks, they’re good sources of protein but are quite low in fat, so they aren’t as rich in omega-3’s as small, fatty fish. However, bivalves contain several micronutrients, especially zinc and vitamin B12. Zinc contributes to a healthy immune system, and vitamin B12 helps form red blood cells that carry oxygen and keep nerves throughout the body healthy. While most Americans get enough B12, some may not.
And from a planetary health perspective, bivalves are among the best sources of animal-based protein. “Bivalves can be ‘nature positive’ because they don’t require feed and they filter and clean up water,” says Golden.
Be aware, however, that bivalves can become contaminated from runoff, bacteria, viruses, or chemicals in the water. So be sure to follow FDA advice about buying and preparing seafood safely.
Although we tend to think of coastal cities as the best places to find seafood, it’s available throughout the United States. For less-common varieties, try larger Asian markets, which often carry a wide variety of fish and bivalves, Golden suggests.
Aquatic plant foods
You can even go one step further down the aquatic food chain by eating aquatic plant foods such as seaweed and kelp. If you like sushi, you’ve probably had nori, the flat sheets of seaweed used to make sushi rolls. You can also find seaweed snacks in Asian and many mainstream grocery stores. The truly adventurous may want to try kelp jerky or a kelp burger, both sold online.
Nutrients in seaweed vary quite a bit, depending on species (kelp is one type of brown seaweed; there are also numerous green and red species). But seaweed is low in calories, is a good source of fiber, and also contains iodine, a mineral required to make thyroid hormones. Similar to terrestrial vegetables, seaweeds contain a range of other minerals and vitamins. For now, aquatic plant foods remain fringe products here in the United States, but they may become more mainstream in the future, according to Golden.
About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
Julie Corliss is the executive editor of the Harvard Heart Letter. Before working at Harvard, she was a medical writer and editor at HealthNews, a consumer newsletter affiliated with The New England Journal of Medicine. She … See Full Bio View all posts by Julie Corliss
About the Reviewer
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
Dr. Howard LeWine is a practicing internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Chief Medical Editor at Harvard Health Publishing, and editor in chief of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. See Full Bio View all posts by Howard E. LeWine, MD