Screen Time and Headaches: When Virtual Learning is a Literal Pain

As much as we may grumble, educational screen hours during this Pandemic are necessary, unavoidable, and important. After transitioning to digital learning in the last few weeks, more kids are coming into my office complaining of daily headaches after spending days on screens.

This matters because kids in pain can't learn well. We need all our kids to be as comfortable as possible to improve the focus and sustained attention that online education requires. 

Here are some tips for my virtual and distance learners (and WFH parents, too!):

1. Remember your Zoom call training? This applies to your kids, too. The screen needs to be at eye level. Use books or empty boxes to lift the screen up to a more neutral eye and neck position. When we are looking down for an extended period of time, the neck strain caused by our heavy heads contributes to headaches. (A 10 pound head in neutral creates a whopping 60 pounds force when in flexion.) Also, add a soft, indirect light behind the screen with a small lamp. This will help with contrast and eye strain.

2. Get better tools. Laptops naturally place bodies into hunched over positions. Help your kids sit up correctly with laptop accessories. Find an cheap monitor to use as a larger, second screen. It can be a game-changer for both positional and eye stress. Some kids will also improve posture by using a wireless mouse rather hovering over a click-pad. And if you are lifting the laptop to eye level using a box or books, get a wireless keyboard to keep the wrist action neutral, too. 

3. Breaks matter. Set a timer for 20 minutes once online learning or WFH begins. Get into the habit of changing your gaze to a point about 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. This allows the small muscles of the eye required for close-up vision to have a break and helps with headache prevention. 

4. There's not really any great data to support blue-blocking eye glasses or screen covers, but they may help prevent distracting glare. If you choose to try this, get something cheap. 

5. Hydrate your body and your eyes. We don't blink as frequently when we are looking at a screen. Kids can benefit from simple artificial tear drops to help with eye hydration and lubrication through the day. Brands like Refresh, Systane, or Blink are what I would choose (#notsponsored). Meanwhile, don't forget a water bottle to keep the body hydrated. This helps with alertness as well as is a good habit for headache prevention. 

6. Don't work in your bed. Your bed is meant for sleeping, not studying. 

7. Visit the eye doctor if eye pain or headaches persist. Kids may need some eye glasses to help with screen time. 

Other headache preventers:

Magnesium: Daily magnesium supplements can be offered as an evidence-based natural therapy. Magnesium is a co-factor involved in neuromuscular functioning. Magnesium is found in deep leafy greens, beans, nuts, and whole grains; but supplements (powers, liquid or tablets) can be helpful if you don’t feel your child eats enough of these whole food sources. Talk to your doctor about recommended dosage based on your child’s age, weight and type of magnesium purchased. There are a few medications that interact with mag supplements, so be sure to check with your child’s doc first.

Co-enzyme Q10: This antioxidant has been shown to decrease headache frequency. It is generally well tolerated by most kids and is available in gummies and tablets. CoQ-10 is fat soluble, so best taken with a meal. For dosage info, talk with your child’s doc.

Great sleep: Getting optimal number of restorative sleep hours (9-12 hours for most kids) is important for headache management. Treating common childhood sleep issues such as RLS, OSA, and nighttime anxiety can result in decreased headaches, too.

Routine exercise: Although there are a few individuals in which exercise triggers headaches, the majority of kids benefit in decreased headache intensity and frequency when they routinely exercise. Exercise releases natural pain-reducing endorphins, as well as helps kids manage stress and anxiety that can be headache triggers.

Meditation and stress reduction: Kids are able to learn mindfulness techniques to decrease stress response. This can be helpful in both headache prevention and pain management during a headache. There are some great apps to help kids learn body scan mindfulness techniques and other ways to calm their bodies. My favorites include Calm, Headspace for Kids, and Little Renegades.

Here’s to pain free screen time! Good luck.