For kids around the country it 's back - to - school time . But for many of them , it 's also the return of headache season . Doctors say frequent headaches and migraines are among the most common childhood health complaints , yet the problem gets surprisingly little attention from the medical community . Many pediatricians and parents view migraines as an adult condition . And because many children complain of headaches more often during the school year than the summer , parents often think a child is exaggerating symptoms to get out of schoolwork . 2 Often the real issue , say doctors , is that changes in a child 's sleep schedule including getting up early for school and staying up late to study , as well as skipping breakfast , not drinking enough water and weather changes can all trigger migraines when the school year starts . 3 " In many areas people just don't think kids can get migraines , " says Dr . Andrew Hershey , professor of pediatrics and neurology and director of the headache center at Cincinnati Children 's Hospital Medical Center . " But kids shouldn't be missing activities and having trouble at school because they're having headaches . If it happens , it shouldn't be ignored . " 4 It 's estimated that about 10 percent of young children and up to 28 percent of older teenagers suffer from migraines . ( Hormonal changes during puberty can also be a trigger . ) But childhood migraine often doesn't show up the same way as an adult migraine , while adult migraines often last four hours or more , in a child , the duration of a migraine can range from as little as one hour up to 72 hours . In adults , migraines typically settle on one side of the head , but in children migraine pain is often felt across the front of the forehead or on both temples rather than on just one side . As a result , childhood migraines are often dismissed as sinus headaches .