Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsDiagnosisHome TreatmentWhen to See a ProviderPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Home Treatment
When to See a Provider
Prevention
Dizzinessand headaches in children have many possible causes, ranging from conditions as simple as stress, hunger, and dehydration to more complex conditions like migraines and seizures.
When the two occur together, healthcare providers may investigate problems with the inner ear (such as vestibular migraine), brain (like meningitis), cardiovascular system (like postural hypotension), or eyes (likestrabismus, or crossed eyes).
This article looks at the possible causes of dizziness and headaches in children, including how they are diagnosed, treated, and prevented. It also explains when it is time to see a healthcare provider.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
What Causes Dizziness and Headaches in Children?
Dizziness and Vertigo
Headaches are common in children, but dizziness is less so.Dizziness may take the form of lightheadedness or wooziness or be symptomatic of a specific condition known asvertigoin which you feel like you are spinning or the world is spinning around you.
While dizziness or vertigo is one of the more common causes of medical visits for adults, only around 6% of children in the United States report such symptoms.Thus, it’s important to take symptoms like these seriously in kids.
Broadly speaking, the causes of dizziness in children can be broken down into seven categories.
Migraines
Migraine without aura(sometimes called a “common migraine”) is the most common type affecting children.
Vestibular Disorders
A vestibular disorder occurs when a disease or injury interferes with your body’s balance system, called the vestibular system. The system is comprised of your inner ear and a nerve called thevestibular nervethat helps you maintain balance and coordinate movements in space.
Vestibular disorders are the second most common cause of dizziness in kids. The two conditions commonly affecting children iclude:
Psychogenic Vertigo
Possible causes in kids include:
Neurological Disorders
Neurological disorders involve problems with the central nervous system (comprised of the brain and spinal cord). In kids, approximately one in 10 cases of dizziness are the result of a neurological problem.
Neurological causes of dizziness in children include:
Motion Sickness
Motion sicknesshappens when the movements you see are different from what your inner ear senses. This can lead to dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. You can get motion sickness in a car, boat, train, airplane, or amusement park ride.
Around 4% of dizziness cases in kids are the result of motion sickness.
How to Stop Motion Sickness
Cardiovascular Disorders
Ophthalmological Disorders
Ophthalmological disorders are those involving the eyes. They are a less common cause of dizziness in kids, accounting for one in 100 cases, They can lead to severe dizziness if the position of the eyes alters how your brain interprets the nerve signals from the eyes.
Strabismusis the medical term for the misalignment of the eyes, of which there are three types:
Headaches
Possible causes of headaches in kids include:
Symptoms of Dizziness and Headaches in Children
Dizziness and headache can take many forms in children. Younger children especially may have difficulty or an inability to describe their symptoms. This is why it’s important to know the common signs of dizziness or headache so that you can act appropriately when needed.
Dizziness
Dizziness is a feeling that can be hard for young children to describe. If your child can talk, they may say that their head feels “funny” or report that “everything is spinning.”
Common signs to watch out for include:
Symptoms of headaches in kids depend on the type of headache they are having. The two most common are tension headaches and migraines.
Symptoms of tension headaches in children include:
Common symptoms of a migraine in children include:
How Are Headaches and Dizziness in Children Diagnosed?
Usually, dizziness and/or headaches do not require a visit to a healthcare professional, but sometimes may be necessary.
For dizziness, a healthcare provider may:
For headaches, a healthcare provider may:
Other tests are usually not necessary, but may include:
Treatment at Home
Laying down and resting in a dark, quiet, comfortable-temperature room is often all that is needed to get rid of dizziness or headache in children. Eating a snack or drinking some water or juice can also help both dizziness and headache.
Other remedies are more symptom-specific.
If no medical attention is needed, dizziness can be treated at home with remedies such as:
If rest, food, water, or other actions don’t alleviate the symptoms, contact a healthcare provider. IV (intravenous, through a vein) fluids may be necessary.
If the child does not need medical attention, headaches can be treated at home with:
When to Seek Medical Treatment
If the dizziness or headache doesn’t get better, gets worse, or comes back, call your child’s healthcare provider. There may be an underlying condition that needs to be addressed.
Seek medical attention right away for the following:
Headache
Headaches in Kids
How Are Headaches and Dizziness in Children Prevented?
Staying well-rested and hydrated goes a long way in preventing dizziness and headaches in children, but there are other measures that can be taken.
The following can reduce the risk of dizziness in some kids:
The following can reduce the risk of headaches in some kids:
Summary
Dizziness and headaches are common in children and are usually not serious. Depending on the cause, a child might have other symptoms as well. The symptoms might occur separately or together.
Treating headaches and dizziness in kids will depend on what is causing the symptoms. In some cases, at-home and over-the-counter (OTC) treatments might be enough. If these remedies do not work, your doctor may prescribe treatment.
Pediatric Headache Red Flags and When to Seek Treatment
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fancello V, Palma S, Monzani D, Pelucchi S, Genovese E, Ciorba A.Vertigo and dizziness in children: an update.Children (Basel).2021 Nov;8(11):1025. doi:10.3390/children8111025Dommaraju S, Perera E.An approach to vertigo in general practice.Aust Fam Physician.2016 Apr;45(4):190-4.American Migraine Foundation.Migraine without aura.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Motion sickness.Gunton KB, Wasserman BN, DeBenedictis C.Strabismus.Prim Care. 2015;42(3):393-407. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2015.05.006How CH, Chan WSD.Headaches in children.Singapore Med J.2014 Mar;55(3):128–131. doi:10.11622/smedj.2014029American Academy of Pediatrics.Dizziness and fainting in children and teens.American Academy of Pediatrics.Headaches: when to call the pediatrician.American Migraine Foundation.Caring for a child with migraine.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headaches in children.Boston Children’s Hospital.Dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders in children.National Headache Foundation.Childrens headache disorders.Neurological Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Meningitis.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fancello V, Palma S, Monzani D, Pelucchi S, Genovese E, Ciorba A.Vertigo and dizziness in children: an update.Children (Basel).2021 Nov;8(11):1025. doi:10.3390/children8111025Dommaraju S, Perera E.An approach to vertigo in general practice.Aust Fam Physician.2016 Apr;45(4):190-4.American Migraine Foundation.Migraine without aura.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Motion sickness.Gunton KB, Wasserman BN, DeBenedictis C.Strabismus.Prim Care. 2015;42(3):393-407. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2015.05.006How CH, Chan WSD.Headaches in children.Singapore Med J.2014 Mar;55(3):128–131. doi:10.11622/smedj.2014029American Academy of Pediatrics.Dizziness and fainting in children and teens.American Academy of Pediatrics.Headaches: when to call the pediatrician.American Migraine Foundation.Caring for a child with migraine.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headaches in children.Boston Children’s Hospital.Dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders in children.National Headache Foundation.Childrens headache disorders.Neurological Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Meningitis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Fancello V, Palma S, Monzani D, Pelucchi S, Genovese E, Ciorba A.Vertigo and dizziness in children: an update.Children (Basel).2021 Nov;8(11):1025. doi:10.3390/children8111025Dommaraju S, Perera E.An approach to vertigo in general practice.Aust Fam Physician.2016 Apr;45(4):190-4.American Migraine Foundation.Migraine without aura.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Motion sickness.Gunton KB, Wasserman BN, DeBenedictis C.Strabismus.Prim Care. 2015;42(3):393-407. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2015.05.006How CH, Chan WSD.Headaches in children.Singapore Med J.2014 Mar;55(3):128–131. doi:10.11622/smedj.2014029American Academy of Pediatrics.Dizziness and fainting in children and teens.American Academy of Pediatrics.Headaches: when to call the pediatrician.American Migraine Foundation.Caring for a child with migraine.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headaches in children.Boston Children’s Hospital.Dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders in children.National Headache Foundation.Childrens headache disorders.Neurological Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Meningitis.
Fancello V, Palma S, Monzani D, Pelucchi S, Genovese E, Ciorba A.Vertigo and dizziness in children: an update.Children (Basel).2021 Nov;8(11):1025. doi:10.3390/children8111025
Dommaraju S, Perera E.An approach to vertigo in general practice.Aust Fam Physician.2016 Apr;45(4):190-4.
American Migraine Foundation.Migraine without aura.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Motion sickness.
Gunton KB, Wasserman BN, DeBenedictis C.Strabismus.Prim Care. 2015;42(3):393-407. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2015.05.006
How CH, Chan WSD.Headaches in children.Singapore Med J.2014 Mar;55(3):128–131. doi:10.11622/smedj.2014029
American Academy of Pediatrics.Dizziness and fainting in children and teens.
American Academy of Pediatrics.Headaches: when to call the pediatrician.
American Migraine Foundation.Caring for a child with migraine.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headaches in children.
Boston Children’s Hospital.Dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders in children.
National Headache Foundation.Childrens headache disorders.
Neurological Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Meningitis.
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