Cephalalgia : an international journal of headacheJan 12, 2024

How work schedules, sleep problems, and restless legs relate to headaches over time in nurses

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Mar 25, 2026

Abstract

Insomnia at baseline is associated with a 1.58 times higher risk of new onset of migraine three years later.

Chronic headache risk increases by 2.02 times and medication-overuse headache risk increases by 3.79 times with insomnia at baseline.
Shift work disorder (SWD) at baseline is linked to a 1.64 times higher risk of new onset of migraine.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) at baseline is associated with a 1.55 times higher risk of experiencing headache at least one day per month and a similar risk of migraine.
Work-related factors, such as work schedules and number of night shifts, do not predict the onset of headaches over three years.

Simplified

BACKGROUND: The preset study aimed to explore whether work schedules and sleep disorders predict the onset of headache.

METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted with questionnaire data from 2014 (baseline) and 2017 (follow-up) on work schedule, number of night shifts, number of quick returns, insomnia, shift work disorder (SWD), restless legs syndrome (RLS) and validated headache diagnoses among 1560 Norwegian nurses. Associations were explored by multivariate regression analyses.

RESULTS: Work related factors at baseline did not predict onset of headache three years later. In the adjusted logistic regressions, insomnia at baseline predicted increased risk of new onset of migraine (odds ratio (OR) = 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-2.33), chronic headache (OR = 2.02; 95% CI = 1.04-4.66) and medication-overuse headache (OR = 3.79; 95% CI = 1.26-11.42) at follow-up. SWD at baseline predicted new onset of migraine (OR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.07-2.50) and RLS at baseline predicted new onset of headache ≥1 day per month (OR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.01-2.36) and migraine (OR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.03-2.32) at follow-up. No factors predicted tension-type headache.

CONCLUSIONS: Overall, work related factors did not predict the onset of headache three years later, whereas insomnia, SWD and RLS at baseline all increased the risk of future headaches.

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Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declare that there are no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

PubMed

How work schedules, sleep problems, and restless legs relate to headaches over time in nurses

Abstract

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Funding

Competing interests

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Abstract

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Funding

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