Conclusions In summary, migraine and non-migraine headaches showed positive associations with RLS in adults aged 19–49 but failed to show any association in adults aged 50–69 in the present study. The RLS prevalence was higher among migraineurs with ≥1 headache attacks per month compared to migraineurs with <1 headache attacks per month. This information may provide a better understanding regarding the comorbidity and pathophysiology of migraine, headache, and RLS. Ethical standards The study was approved by the institutional review board/ethics committee of Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital and was performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.