Headaches can be more prevalent as kids head back to school.

Florida

As children return to school, pediatric emergency physician Dr. Patrick Mulroney highlights an increase in headache-related visits to the emergency room. He identifies sleep deprivation, dehydration, stress, and caffeine withdrawal as common triggers for headaches in children during this period. Dr. Mulroney recommends establishing consistent sleep routines, ensuring proper hydration, and preparing children for the school environment to help reduce stress and prevent headaches.

He also advises parents to monitor headache patterns and severity. Headaches that wake children in the morning or are accompanied by vomiting should prompt medical evaluation. Persistent or severe headaches that interfere with daily activities warrant consultation with a pediatrician. Dr. Mulroney emphasizes the importance of open communication and stress management strategies to support children's well-being.

Kids headaches: pediatrician shares back-to-school insights

As parents, we are honed in on all the to do's on our back to school list. But there is something that always has to be top of mind with our kids, and that's their health. Kids do experience headaches like we do as adults. When do we worry? When do we take action? Pediatric emergency physician with Johns Hopkins. All Children's Dr Patrick Mulroney is here with advice. Always great to see you. Good morning. Where did our summer go? I know I was just gonna ask you that question. It's already back to school. Here we are. Here we are. And and so do we see this at this time of year? Do we see kids coming into the emergency room with headaches more often? We do. Actually, we, you know, there's a lot of things that can cause headaches at the beginning of the school year. One of the main ones is sleep. You know, so often there's Children that are that have, you know, inched up their bedtime over and over again, and there's kids going to bed at one o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock in the morning, and then they're not waking up, you know, at a normal time. So when they first start their first day of school, they're sleep deprived. I think the second one is dehydration, you know, and then and then obviously it's a stress associated with going back to school. Sure. It's all of those things. Just like adults, we get dehydrated. The kids do too, especially if they're out on the playground. Those are good things to think about. Now, you said you have more visits to the E. R. What can we do to minimize those? What can we do to help our kids to make them not have headaches and to avoid those? Well, you know, school has started, but it's time to get into a routine. You know, getting your child to bed at the right time is super important, you know, and making sure they have, you know, 8 10 hours of sleep, eight minimum. You really want 10 hours of sleep and then making sure that they're hydrated. And then with regards to a lot of the stress, I find that planning things ahead of time. Tell your child about what their classroom is gonna be like and what's gonna go on. Explain to them where they're gonna eat lunch, how breakfast is gonna be and then make sure they're staying hydrated by making sure they take take in liquids in the morning and bring a drink with them to school. Are there any other triggers that might be causing those types of headaches, right? So I two more, right? A lot of people immediately when somebody has headaches, they're like, Oh, it's got to be your eyes. But so much of what they're doing in the classroom is ipad based, and these kids are on their phones or on screens all summer long. So it's not a big difference between the classroom and home. The other one that you don't think about, though, is caffeine withdrawal. You know, in those older kids and those high school kids or maybe your kids driving, they're going to the store, they're buying a caffeinated drink. You know, these kids are drinking caffeinated drinks these days and then the school year starts and they go cold turkey off of caffeine. So now they're in caffeine withdrawal and that can lead to headaches. So if you have an older kid who's been drinking caffeine through the summer and they're actually start having headaches out of the blue, one of the things to talk to them about is their caffeine consumption. That's that's a good point against some of us are. We're all guilty of that. And I know, too, if I have the withdrawals, if I don't have my cup of coffee in the morning, I'm gonna feel it in my head. Most of us, unfortunately, are addicted to caffeine. Yes, it's going. Okay. What about those cases you are seeing where parents come into the emergency room? Are they mostly tension headaches? What kinds of things are you seeing? Yeah. So, you know, when we think about headaches, tension headaches are typically headaches that started the back of the neck and move over the top of the head. So those are typically tension headaches, a true migraine headache with pain over the temples that's pounding. The child's gonna want to go to a dark room, put their head under a pillow. They can't really function with that. Those can be migraine headaches. And, you know, if your child's having that type of headache, you should probably be evaluated by your pediatrician to make sure that everything's okay. And I think that the one warning sign, you know, the headaches that really scare me or headaches that Children wake up with in the morning of a child's waking up with a headache first thing in the morning. Also a headache with vomiting. That's that's something that you should be even more concerned about. Headaches more towards the end of the school day. Well, that could go more along with tension headaches or, you know, the stress of the day. Okay. Okay. Is it? Is it just exclusively the headache in the morning and the vomiting? Can there be instances where maybe they wake up with a headache and it's because they're dehydrated from the day before that can happen. And you as a parent have to watch the pattern. Obviously happens once or twice. That's not what we're talking about. And the severity, right? You have to watch the pattern. But if your child is complaining of headaches often, and it's holding them out of things that they would normally love to do, that's the time to go to your pediatrician or you'll get checked out. Yeah, that breaks my heart. I always think of that of that moment in time when a parent or child is like, Oh, this is so severe. We need to go to the E. R. And so you're seeing that you're trying to put them at ease or get to the root of the problem. A. S. A. P. Or or treat that. You know, we have kids that once we rule out other things that have migraines that sometimes we have to treat the emergency center. Sure. Oh, I bet. I bet. And, you know, we talk about that tension as being a driver for headaches. Are there things we can do to de stress and and make the back to school the whole experience less stressful? I think that talking to Children about what your expectations are and the more that they can prepare, the more we can get rid of the anxiety associated with school, the better. And I think that checking in with your child and finding out what bothers them is going to be really important and helping them the same. You know, your kids are a lot like you. So teach them the ways that you mitigate stress. Obviously, exercise is one of those, but being, you know, really prepared and having time to rest. It's funny. I make jokes off air about I love our segments because I'm like nervous mom energy and then doctor with all the answers were a great team. So I've got to calm my nervous energy down and not transfer that to my Children. So that's a good reminder to thank you so much. Dr Malarone. We always love talking with you. Thank you and enjoy the school year. Thank you.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has firmly rejected Russia’s proposal requiring land concessions to end the war. Ukrainian and European officials have submitted a counterproposal to Washington.

Kyiv

Middle East Conflict

Ukraine, Europe counter Russian ceasefire proposal ahead of US talks

There have been more protests, and counter protests, in several British towns and cities, outside of hotels used to accommodate asylum seekers. Some far-right protesters called for one of the hotels to stop housing migrants.

Bournemouth

UK: Anti-immigration & anti-racism protesters face off

A man who opened fire on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, firing into the complex from a pharmacy and killing a police officer, blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal, according to reports.

Atlanta

Vaccine conspiracy could be behind Atlanta shooting

The Gifford Fire burning through the rugged backcountry of California's Central Coast is now the state's largest wildfire of the year. It has reached so-called "mega-fire" status and is one of 38 large fires burning across nine states.

San Luis Obispo

Largest California wildfire of 2025 reaches "mega fire" status

President Trump is preparing to take another swing at a deal with President Putin during a high-stakes summit next Friday in Anchorage, Alaska. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the country will never give up land, even if it means an end to the war.

Anchorage

Ukraine Invasion

Trump: Ukraine must cede land for ceasefire; Zelenskyy refuses

The United Nations Security Council is set to hold a rare Sunday meeting to discuss Israel's plan to intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking control of Gaza City. CBS News' Debora Patta reports on the conflict and the mounting humanitarian crisis.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza comes under fire

At least 200 protesters have been arrested at a rally showing solidarity for Palestinians in Gaza, outside the Parliament in London. Crowds are also demonstrating against a ban on the Palestine Action group, after it was designated as a terrorist organisation.

London

London:  Hundreds arrested during Palestine action protest

After almost four decades of a bloody conflict that until recently had no end in sight, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a peace agreement in the presence of the US President Donald Trump. Notably absent in this historic moment is Russia, which no longer plays a central role in the South Caucasus.

Washington

Azerbaijan and Armenia sign historic agreement

Montana's governor said that the dayslong manhunt for the suspect in a bar shooting has ended. 45-year-old Michael Brown was taken into custody on Friday.

Anaconda

Montana bar shooting suspect captured after weeklong manhunt

President Trump announced Friday that he will hold a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska. The summit comes as Russia has been pushing to keep all the Ukrainian territory it gained from its invasion. Nancy Cordes and Margaret Brennan have the latest.

Trump, Putin to hold meeting in Alaska next week

The U.S. Department of Justice issued subpoenas in its investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James. CBS News' Jake Rosen reports.

New York

Trump's DOJ subpoenas New York AG Letitia James

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday (August 7), as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions.

Moscow

Kremlin says Trump, Putin to meet soon; Ukraine seeks role for Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump's rushed deadline for Russia to strike a ceasefire deal or face more sanctions has arrived without much movement from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump deadline for Russia to reach ceasefire arrives

Protesters in Israel are voicing their concerns about a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet to take over Gaza City. CBS News' Debora Patta has more.

Jerusalem

Israel's security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel intends to take full military control of Gaza and push a new offensive, despite mounting international criticism over the war’s human toll and growing hunger crisis.

Israel intends to take full control of Gaza, Netanyahu says

U.S. President Donald Trump said that there is a good chance he'll meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin soon over Russia's war with Ukraine.

Trump says 'good chance' he'll meet with Putin soon

U.S. President Donal Trump officially began levying higher import taxes on dozens of countries on Thursday (August 7), just as the economic fallout of his months-long tariff threats was beginning to create visible damage to the U.S. economy.

Global Tariffs

Higher U.S. tariffs officially take effect

The man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., earlier this year has been charged with federal hate crime charges. CBS News Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Hate crime charges filed in killings of Israeli Embassy staffers

As Sean "Diddy" Combs awaits his sentencing, his lead attorney Marc Agnifilo says he has not talked to anyone at the White House about a possible pardon.

Sean "Diddy" Combs' attorney says he hasn't had talks about a pardon

Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, blamed Hamas when asked about starvation in Gaza, saying, "Hamas has not allowed the food to get to the people who are hungry." Huckabee also addressed questions over the controversial aid sites.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel faces questions over starvation in Gaza

On "T-Day," the US began enforcing Trump's new tariffs, raising average rates from 2% to 15% after a 90-day pause allowed some countries to negotiate reduced deals while others, like India and Brazil, faced hikes. These tariffs have generated over $150 billion in revenue by July, impacting various sectors and aiming to address trade imbalances.

U.S. begins collecting Trump's new global tariffs

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he plans to call the leaders of China and India, to discuss a joint response to new US tariffs. The announcement came as Brazil and India were hit with 50 percent levies - the highest imposed by President Donald Trump.

State of Rio de Janeiro

Brazil halts U.S. trade talks as Lula condemns new tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations after trade talks reached a deadlock.

Trump imposes extra 25% tariff on India over Russian oil imports

President Trump has been briefed about the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia, the White House press secretary says. At least five soldiers were shot before a suspect was apprehended, officials say.

Fort Stewart

Five soldiers shot at Fort Stewart in Georgia; suspect apprehended

A Russian official said President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had a "useful and constructive" conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.

Witkoff, Putin had 'useful and constructive conversation'

The U.S. aims to deploy nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, targeting the first launch by decade’s end. A new NASA directive, revealed by Politico and AFP, calls for appointing a nuclear power czar to choose two commercial proposals within six months, aiming to outpace a Chinese-Russian collaboration.

NASA races to put nuclear reactors on Moon and Mars

Japan held a memorial service and ceremony for victims and the remaining survivors of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, marking its 80th anniversary and renewing pledges of working towards a world without nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima marks 80th anniversary since U.S. atomic bombing

The U.S. is warning travelers as cases of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne illness, spreads in China. Health officials in China have ordered mass disinfection measures. The region near Hong Kong reported more than 7,000 cases in recent weeks.

Breakdown