Parents who are confused about the cause of their childs daily headaches should check their child's cola-drinking habits. Results of a five-year study suggest that children who drink too much cola may experience caffeine-induced headaches on a daily basis.
Parents who are worried about the cause of their child's frequent headaches should check their cola-drinking habits. Results of a five-year study suggest that children who drink too much cola may experience 'caffeine-induced' headaches on a daily basis. A high caffeine intake may also rob children of much-needed sleep, according to previously published research. Children with higher intakes of caffeine sleep fewer hours, are more likely to wake up during the night and tended to be sleepier during the day than their peers.Researchers from the Sapir Medical Centre in Israel studied 36 children and teenagers, ages 6 to 18, who visited a hospital with complaints of daily or near-daily headaches and were deemed excessive caffeine consumers. All children reported drinking at least 1.5 liters of cola everyday with an average of 11 liters cola each week - a caffeine intake roughly equivalent to two large cups of instant coffee or two small cups of ground coffee per day, with 17 servings per week. None of the children drank coffee. After gradually discontinuing their daily cola-drinking habit over a one- to two-week period, 33 of the 36 children completely stopped having headaches, which lasted throughout the 24-week follow-up period. The remaining three patients began experiencing occasional migraines in place of the daily headaches. But these three, along with four of their formerly 'heavy' cola-drinking peers also had a family history of headaches or migraine.The study also included a comparison group of 69 children and teenagers who reported frequent headache, but consumed only low amounts of caffeine daily. For 26 of these children, the use of analgesic medications appeared to be behind the headaches. Nearly all got relief once they stopped overusing the painkillers. Taking too many headache remedies too often can cause a rebound headache, which can only be relieved by stopping the medication completely.
While excessive caffeine can be a headache trigger, small doses have been shown to be helpful when given with pain relievers such as aspirin and acetaminophen.
Cephalalgia, June 2003; Vol. 23
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