Comorbidity with sleep disorders

The reciprocal relationship between headache and sleep has been documented in medical literature for over a century, and clinical texts allude to the importance of sleep as a headache precipitant. The precise nature and magnitude of the headache/ sleep association and underlying mechanisms remains poorly understood [1]. Both sleep disturbances and headache disorders are widespread health problems during childhood: migraine and tension headaches alone occur in approximately 12% of the pediatric population, and 25% of children have experienced at least one type of sleep problem [2, 3]. Sleep represents a well-documented behavioral state related to the occurrence of some headache syndromes. Sleep disorders are observed among all headache subgroups, and headaches that occur during or after sleep are suggestive of sleep disorders.