Gadgets not responsible for headaches

Use of gadgets is not associated with headaches, at least not in adolescents. A study found no link between the use of computer games or mobile phones and occurrence of headaches.

Use of electronic gadgets is not associated with headaches, at least not in adolescents.

A study of 1,025 teenagers, found no link between the use of computer games, mobile phones or TV and occurrence of headaches or migraines. However, listening to music for one or two hours every day is associated with a pounding head.

Astrid Milde-Busch, from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany, worked with a team of researchers to study the links between exposure to electronics and the prevalence and type of headaches.

"Excessive use of electronic media is often reported to be associated with long-lasting adverse effects on health like obesity or lack of regular exercise, or unspecific symptoms like tiredness, stress, concentration difficulties and sleep disturbances," she said.

Researchers interviewed 489 teenagers who claimed to suffer from headaches and 536 who said they did not.

When the two groups were compared, no associations were found for television viewing, electronic gaming, mobile phone usage or computer usage.

Daily consumption of music was significantly associated with suffering from any type of headache, said a Ludwig-Maximilians release.

Milde-Busch points out that "it cannot be concluded whether the habit of listening to music is the cause of frequent headaches, or the consequence in the sense of a self-therapy by relaxation."