While later start times did not correlate with fewer headache days per month, teenagers with migraine are still getting ‘nowhere near’ enough sleep.
A recent study published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain underscored the need for sleep among adolescents with migraine, according to the study’s lead author.
Amy Gelfand, MD, FAHS, of the University of California at San Francisco and colleagues studied the effect of high school start times on high school students with migraine. Researchers found that teenagers with migraine are getting “nowhere near” the recommended minimum of 8 hours of sleep for their age group, Dr. Gelfand says.
“On average, they’re getting somewhere between 5.5 and maybe 6 hours of sleep per night, regardless of if they went to a school that starts later or earlier,” Dr. Gelfand says. “That is well under what they need for their health and to learn; perhaps for migraine control too, but we don’t really know.”
