[The relationship between headache and sleep disorders: findings from an epidemiological study in a population of Spanish school-age children]
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M TTomás-Vila1, A Miralles-Torres, B Beseler-Soto
1Unidad de Neuropediatría, Hospital Francesc de Borja. Gandía, Valencia, España. tomas_mig@gva.es
Insights
Children experiencing headaches frequently suffer from sleep disorders, including insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness. Early identification of sleep issues in pediatric headache patients is crucial for effective management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Sleep Medicine
- Public Health
Context:
- Headaches and sleep disorders significantly impact children's quality of life.
- Prevalence of these conditions in pediatric populations is a growing concern.
Purpose:
- To investigate the prevalence of sleep disorders in children who experience headaches.
- To identify specific sleep disturbances associated with pediatric headaches.
Summary:
- A survey of 887 children in Gandia revealed a strong association between headaches and various sleep disorders.
- Commonly associated sleep issues include insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and parasomnias like nightmares and sleep-talking.
Impact:
- Findings underscore the importance of assessing sleep habits in children presenting with headaches.
- This highlights a critical link between pediatric headache and sleep disturbances, informing clinical practice.
Introduction:
Headache and sleep disorders have a high impact in children, both from the point of view of prevalence and from the perspective of the quality of life of the subjects who suffer their consequences. AIM. To determine the prevalence of sleep disorders among the child population that suffers from headaches.
Subjects And Methods:
The Spanish version of the Paediatric Sleep Questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of the child and teenage population that attend the different schools in the town of Gandia. This questionnaire includes two questions about the existence of headache.
Results:
In all, 887 subjects answered the survey (68% of respondents). The sleep disorders that are clearly associated with headache are: rhythmic movement disorders, sleep-talking, nightmares, waking up more than twice during the night, unwillingness to go to bed, early waking, delayed onset of sleep, insomnia, irregular hours of going to bed and getting up, excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring and positive screening for apnea-hypopnea syndrome.
Conclusions:
It is shown that the population with headaches has a greater number of sleep disorders, mainly insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness and parasomnias. It is important to gather information about sleep habits in any child who is attended because of headache.
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