Factors influencing the headaches and their impact on daily life of medical students

Background and Objective: Medical students are considered high risk for headaches due to various triggers in their daily routine. The objective of this study was to assess the factors influencing headaches and their impact on the daily life of medical students. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized a sample of 242 participants who were selected through a convenient method of sampling. Data was collected from medical students of Liaquat National Medical College for a period of six months (January to June 2021). Data was gathered using pre-designed questionnaires that assessed demographic information, lifestyle factors (such as consumption of tea, coffee, and soft drinks), sleep patterns, meal habits, stress levels, and headache characteristics (including frequency, duration, intensity, associated symptoms, aura symptoms, and triggers). An analysis using a chi-square test was conducted to investigate the potential relationships between these factors and the occurrence of headaches. Results: Age and gender were not significant predictors of headaches in this particular sample. Instead, factors such as missed days due to headaches (p=0.020) and problems staying asleep (p=0.044) were more closely linked to headache occurrence. Headaches lead to a minor reduction in the ability to function for a large proportion of individuals (58.1%). A high percentage of participants had a family history of headaches (41%).   Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep quality as a potential avenue for mitigating the burden of headaches in individuals. However, further research is necessary to establish causation and generalizability of these results to broader populations.