Pediatrician explains why a teenager may have a headache after school

Hunger, lack of sleep and stress as common causes

After school, teenagers often come home complaining of headaches. Darya Tretyakova, a pediatrician at the XXI Century Medical Center, told Gazeta.Ru that among the most common causes is simple hunger: the child has breakfast at home, but by the end of the seventh or eighth lesson is already hungry and regularly comes home with a headache. According to her, stress and lack of sleep can also trigger the pain.

When the pain signals an illness

According to the doctor, frequent headaches sometimes signal other health problems. They can occur with eye conditions: if a teenager is developing nearsightedness that has not been diagnosed, if glasses are improperly fitted, or if the wearing regimen is not followed. Among other possible causes, Tretyakova named ENT diseases — sinusitis, frontal sinusitis and maxillary sinusitis — as well as adenoids: difficulty breathing through the nose can disrupt sleep and be accompanied by headaches. Many dental conditions, especially of the upper jaw teeth, as well as problems with the cervical spine and neck muscles, are also linked to headaches.

What parents can do

The pediatrician advised parents to keep a headache diary in advance — observations over about two weeks are usually enough. Such records help identify patterns: for example, the pain may appear before school due to emotional tension, or after classes because of a long gap between meals. In her view, it is also important to assess the teenager's daily routine: whether they sleep enough, whether they are overloaded with schoolwork and extracurricular activities, how much time they spend in front of screens, and in what conditions they study and rest.