Lack of drinking and too much stress often causes headaches in children

Dehydration and stress are often the cause of headaches in children
Headaches in children - especially in hot summer weather - are often associated with low fluid intake, but may also be triggered by stress, illness or other factors. Around one in ten children in Germany has a regular headache, according to the Association of Paediatricians (BVKJ).

Drinking deficiency is the cause of the headache, according to the experts, this can often be recognized by the color of the urine. Dark, foul-smelling urine is to be understood as a possible warning sign for a too low fluid intake. "The urine must be light yellow or straw colored. The darker the urine, the more concentrated it is and the drier the child is. " Ulrich Fegeler, Federal Press Spokesman of the Professional Association of Children and Youth Physicians. Threatening consequences are already at a slight dehydration clear impairment of mental and physical performance. As typical complaints the expert mentions headache, dizziness, a dry mouth and tiredness.

An estimated one in ten children regularly suffer from headaches. (Image: contrastwerkstatt / fotolia.com)

In hot weather and sports often headaches due to dehydration
Especially at hot temperatures and during sports, according to the BVKJ, children should pay more attention to their fluid intake. If necessary, a large glass of water can help with the oncoming headache. If the headache is caused by other causes, their elimination is often much more difficult. In addition, the search for the causes of headache can sometimes be extremely difficult. An extremely wide range of triggers can be considered, ranging from ametropia and irregular food intake (hunger) to external stimuli (eg, bright light, bad air, weather, strong odors) and physical stress (eg, lack of sleep, overwork) to mental health Factors such as stress, anxiety or depression are enough. The psychological triggers are not uncommonly caused by pressure in school or major changes in the personal environment - such as a move or the separation of parents - the BVKJ reported.

Find out about the causes of the headache
In any case, the parents and their children should go to the doctor if they regularly suffer from headaches, according to the experts. In the search for the causes could help a headache calendar in which the children with the help of symbols and smileys a pain diary lead. If a connection with stress is to be recognized, special relaxation procedures are suitable for the relief of the complaints. They are appropriate for children from about nine years, according to the message of the news agency "dpa", citing the BVJ. In addition, headache training programs will be offered to help reduce the use of painkillers and prevent the transition to a chronic condition. Fegeler quoted by the news agency. (Fp)