Headaches in College and University Students

It’s no secret that many students suffer headaches whilst going through their schooling – studies suggesting that up to 43% of university students experienced more than two headaches over a three-month period, and 7% experienced a migraine during this time (Oztoria et al. 2011). Staring up at screens, down at books, and sitting through lectures can begin to have a significant impact on the joints and muscles around your head, neck, shoulders and spine.

Headaches can be annoying, but they can also be extremely limiting especially when studying. Forcing you to miss out or struggle to pay attention to classes, headaches have the potential to impact your productivity levels, and ultimately your academic results (Souza-e-Silva et al. 2011).

The good news is, there are always ways to help yourself through this pain.

Movement and exercise – When remaining still at your desk studying all day, fluid builds up in your joints and your muscles begin to tighten, which may explain why your upper back and neck are always feeling stiff, and why your headaches keep coming back. This is where movement and exercise are both very important in allowing your joints and muscles to be utilised and create fluid drainage.

Have an outlet – There is nothing more difficult than sitting at a desk all day without having any downtime. Give yourself short, regular breaks between studying to keep yourself fresh. Eat some fruit, stay hydrated, go for a walk, have a chat with a friend. This will also ensure you’re getting movement through your body and taking pressure off your head and face muscles.

Seek help – I’m no stranger to studying; spending 5 years at university back in Australia trying to become the osteo I am today led me to having bouts of back pain, neck pain, headaches and everything in between. Getting regular treatment from my peers throughout university got me through and enabled me to achieve the results I needed. You don’t need to go through this journey alone. I want you to get that A+ as much as you do!

Souza-e-Silva, H. R., & Rocha-Filho, P. A. S. (2011). Headaches and Academic Performance in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 51(10), 1493-1502. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2011.02012.x
Oztora, S., Korkmaz, O., Dagdeviren, N., Celik, Y., Caylan, A., Top, M. S., & Asil, T. (2011). Migraine headaches among university students using id migraine test as a screening tool. BMC Neurology, 11(1), 103. doi: 10.1186/1471-2377-11-103