What Causes Headaches in Teens?

There are a myriad of reasons for headaches in teens. Some teen headaches are due to lifestyle choices and others are due to changes occurring in the body as teens develop. Teens do not always keep a close watch on their health, which also contributes to headaches. Most teen headaches are innocuous; they will dissipate and will not cause serious health issues.

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Anxiety

Stress headaches are common in teenagers. Teenagers feel a lot of anxiety over issues such as school grades, peer pressure, relationships, family issues, friendships and goals for the future. Too much stress sometimes equals a pounding headache or a feeling of tightness around the head referred to as a stress, or tension, headache.

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation is very common in teens. Lack of sleep due to a busy school, activity or work schedule or due to staying up late to socialize or use the Internet makes some teens have headaches.

Smoking

Teens who smoke have headaches more often than teens who do not smoke, reports the American Cancer Society. The toxins in cigarettes, like nicotine, cause constriction in blood vessels in the brain during smoking that might contribute to headaches.

Dehydration

Dehydration is another cause of headaches. Teens are typically very active. They need a lot of liquids to stay hydrated; forgetting to keep a steady flow of intake of liquids can initiate a headache.

Stimulants

Use of stimulants such as tobacco, and caffeine in coffee, tea and soda will often start a headache in teens. Especially when taken in high doses, these stimulants can result in an intense headache.

Family Link

Some headaches, such as migraines, have a familial link. Teens with parents who experience migraines will also often suffer with migraines too.

Emotional Problems

A psychogenic headache is typically due to emotional problems such as depression in teens, notes Healthychildren.org. If teens are displaying changes in grades, friends, sleeping habits and also talking about headaches, a parent should make a medical appointment to talk about teen depression and psychogenic headaches.

Concussion

Headache pain in teens sometimes also occurs due to a concussion. Any head injury requires immediate medical care.

Poor Nutrition

Poor nutrition may also spark a headache in teens. Too little food overall or too much chemical-laden junk food will make a teen prone to head pain.

Hormones

Hormonal changes in teens impact the brain in many ways, including possibly contributing to the occasional headache. As the brain adjusts to the hormones flooding the teen body, the frequency of headaches may diminish.