Back to school is not easy; whether it be going back to middle school or university, each is challenging. There is a big transition that comes in the routine. Waking up early, going to school, stress from being overworked and the tension surrounding the exams.
Moreover, many children have to face a hostile school atmosphere. Bullying and peer pressure may not seem big deal to adults, but they wreak havoc on the mental health of the students, impairing their physical health alongside as well.
University is no better. It brings with itself greater mental health challenges. The constant race for grades, struggle about getting course work through, worrying about the finances. Peer pressure is just as real for university students, except, it is harder for them to accept and verbalize it.
The plethora of problems surrounding school then leads to a range of problems, including headaches. When these grow out of hand, and become harder to manage, it is pertinent that you take your child to the Best Neurologist in Lahore for treatment.
School induced Migraines
It is not just the pain in the head that your child will complain about. For severe cases, stress from school can also simmer into migraines, an extremely painful type of headache.
Symptoms of migraines include pulsating or throbbing pain that gradually increases. It is concentrated on one side of the head only, and also extends to the eyes as well. Migraines also lead to tension in the neck, and nausea. In severe cases, people may also suffer from bouts of vomiting as well.
Moreover, migraines also cause weakness in the body. Sensitivity to light and noise is also common. Since migraines are not your ordinary headaches, they do not just go away, or resolve from light painkillers. Migraines require stronger pain medication and take their due time in abating.
The other type of headache: Stress headaches
Not every child will complain of migraines. Stress and chronic headaches are just as likely a result of the back-to-school routine.
It is not just the head that reels from the impact on the ache, but the entire body suffers. Pain has a negative impact on mood and mental health, so children suffering from headaches also tend to have foul dispositions, and understandably so. Moreover, pain can also lead to appetite changes. In some cases, the lack of appetite results not from the pain itself, but nausea and vomiting induced by the pain. Since the body is in distress, paleness and weakness also tend to accompany the headaches. These episodes may be very frequent, and the symptoms may also last an entire day.
Preventing back to school headaches
Focus on diet
Eating well is vital for promoting health. Adolescents are especially likely to compromise on their diet, particularly those suffering from poor body image. To dispel the headaches, however, you need to eat at least three times a day and drink a sufficient amount of water.
Get proper sleep
Lack of sleep is common amongst students, especially the university-going ones. However, sleep plays a crucial role in mental and physical health, and lack of it then leads to problems like headaches.
Thus, make sure that you prioritize your sleep. Make a proper study schedule so that you are able to manage your course load better and can get 7-9 hours of sleep daily.
Medication
It is pertinent that timely medical aid is given to the child. Many students end up abusing pain pills to get a reprieve from the chronic headaches, not realizing, using too many painkillers also leads to rebound headaches, further complicating the condition.
Therefore, alongside mitigating the causes of the headache, you should also seek help from your Neurologist for to get a proper treatment plan that allows for the better management of the symptoms.
