What Causes Headaches?
Sometimes a headache is just a part of another illness, such as a cold or flu or strep throat. When you get better, the headache gets better, too.
If you're not sick, other triggers may cause a headache. For example, staying up too late, skipping a meal, or playing in the hot sun too long can set off a headache.
Excitement about a special event or worry about something (a school exam, for instance) can also cause headaches. Some kids get headaches from riding in a car or bus or from straining their eyes by spending too much time watching TV or using a computer.
Strong odors, such as perfume, smoke, fumes, or the smell of a new car or carpet, can start a headache.
Some foods can cause headaches in some kids, such as bacon, bologna, and hot dogs. The caffeine in sodas, chocolate, coffee, and tea may cause headaches, too. Kids don't need caffeine, so it's a good idea to limit it in your diet.
Sometimes no one knows why a kid gets headaches, but if you get them, chances are someone in your family gets them, too. The tendency to get headaches is often inherited. In other words, it runs in the family.
Headache Help
Most headaches will go away after you've rested or slept awhile. When you get one, the first thing you should do is tell an adult, so he or she can help. Lie down in a cool, dark, quiet room and close your eyes. Put a cool, moist cloth across your forehead or eyes. Relax. Breathe easily and deeply.
A grown-up can give you a pain relief medicine — either acetaminophen (say: uh-see-tuh-MIH-nuh-fun) or ibuprofen (say: i-byoo-PROfun). You want to avoid taking aspirin for a headache because it may cause a rare but dangerous disease called Reye syndrome (say: RYE SIN-drome).