Understanding Teenage Headaches and Tiredness

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Is Screen Time Giving Your Teen a Headache?
• Is Your Teenager Getting Enough Sleep?
• Food and Drink as Triggers
• Stress: A Common Headache Trigger
• Hormonal Headaches in Teenage Girls
• Over-the-counter Remedies for Headache Relief
• When to Seek Medical Advice

By addressing and understanding these triggers, you can help your teen find relief and improve their overall well-being.

Is Screen Time Giving Your Teen a Headache?

Many teenagers spend hours on screens—whether for studying, gaming, or social media. Constant screen use can be a trigger for headaches.

How Screen Time Affects Teens

• Poorer Sleep Quality

Decreased sleep quality and duration can have negative effects.

• Sleep Disruption

Blue light emitted by screens interferes with melatonin production, which is essential for quality sleep.

• Reduced Physical Activity

Excessive screen use often replaces exercise which may lead to malnutrition, neck pain and headaches.

Tips for Managing Screen Time

• Apply the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Designate ‘tech-free zones’, especially during meals and before bedtime.
• Encourage activities like sports, reading, or crafts to reduce screen dependency.
• Ensure screens are kept out of bedrooms to improve sleep quality.

Is Your Teenager Getting Enough Sleep?

Teenagers need between 8 and 10 hours of sleep each night to perform at their best. Sleep disturbances, whether due to too little or too much sleep, are a major contributor to headaches.

Tiredness as a Trigger

Irregular sleep in teenagers are linked to poor academic performance and behavioural problems. Conversely, oversleeping, especially on weekends, can disrupt the body’s natural rhythms, resulting in tiredness and headaches.

Tips for Healthy Sleep

• Encourage them to stick to consistent sleep and wake-up times, even during holidays.
• Help them create a relaxing bedtime routine, such as reading or taking a warm bath.
• Keep bedrooms cool, dark, and quiet, with blackout curtains if necessary.
• Remove electronic devices from the bedroom to minimise distractions.

Food and Drink as Triggers

A teenager’s diet plays a significant role in reducing headaches. Skipping meals, dehydration, or consuming certain trigger foods can lead to headaches or migraines.

Common Triggers:

• Processed foods

Nitrates in sausages and salami are linked to headaches.

• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)- containing foods

This chemical is often added to foods like ramen and flavoured crisps.

• Caffeine 

Found in sodas, energy drinks, and coffee, it can lead to withdrawal headaches if consumed excessively.

Stress: A Common Headache Trigger

Stress is one of the most common triggers for headaches and migraines in children.

Tips to Manage Stress:

• Encourage physical activity like walking, yoga, or sports, which relieve tension and improve mood.
• Suggest relaxation techniques, such as mindfulness, journaling, or deep breathing exercises.
• Help teens create a manageable schedule with built-in breaks for downtime.
• Cultivate open communication to identify and address stressors.

Hormonal Headaches in Teenage Girls

Hormonal changes during puberty and the menstrual cycle can increase headache frequency in teenage girls. These headaches are often linked to hormonal fluctuations or menstruation.

Tips to Manage Hormonal Headaches:

• Suggest eating well-balanced, scheduled meals, ensuring no skipping of meals.
• Suggest participating in regular physical exercise and managing stress

Over-the-counter Remedies for Headache Relief

Sometimes, despite lifestyle changes, headaches persist. Over-the-counter medications like paracetamol or ibuprofen (such as Nurofen 200mg Tablets) can provide effective relief for headaches.

Always read the label and follow the dosage instructions. Seek advice from a pharmacist or doctor if you are unsure of how much medicine to take or unsure if a medicine is suitable for you.

When to Seek Medical Advice

Speak to your GP if your teen experiences:

• Headaches that are severe, frequent, or accompanied by symptoms like dizziness, nausea, or blurred vision.
• Headaches that keep returning or get progressively worse despite using pain relief and implementing lifestyle adjustments.
• Sudden or unusual headaches, which could indicate an underlying condition, such as migraines.

Headaches in teenagers are common but can often be managing by reducing triggers like tiredness, screen time, and diet. By making simple lifestyle changes and monitoring symptoms, you can help your teen enjoy a healthier, more comfortable life.

All information presented in this article is not meant to diagnose or prescribe. In all health matters for further information or medical advice, please speak to your GP or a Pharmacist.

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