Migraine at work

Useful adjustments

• Control glare and screen brightness
• Access a quiet/dark space where possible
• Keep food, water and prescribed acute treatment available
• Use flexible work or remote work where appropriate
• Document functional needs clearly rather than oversharing medical detail

Living with migraine at work

Migraine affects more than attack days. Migraine at work can involve planning, communication, confidence, work or study capacity, relationships and the practical cost of not knowing how you will feel on a given day.

Make the environment do some of the work

Where possible, reduce avoidable friction rather than relying on willpower during an attack. Practical adjustments can include clearer plans, backup options, rest access, lower sensory load, flexible timing, prepared medication or care information, and explaining the condition before a difficult day arrives.

Explain the impact, not just the pain

When talking with family, employers, schools or clinicians, describe what migraine prevents you from doing: concentration, driving, screen use, standing, caring responsibilities, social participation or normal work. Functional impact is often easier for another person to understand than a pain number alone.

What to notice

The useful question is not simply whether migraine at work happened once. Look for a repeatable pattern across attacks: when it appears, how long it lasts, what other symptoms occur with it and how much it changes normal activity.

• Timing and duration
• Frequency
• Symptoms that occur with it
• Impact on work, school or daily life
• What you tried and what happened next

What to track in Clea

Record headache or migraine days, severity, associated symptoms, medicines used and the context around the episode. Several weeks of consistent observations are usually more useful than trying to prove a cause from one attack.

• Headache and migraine-like days
• Severity and function
• Associated symptoms
• Acute medicine days
• Anything that changed around the pattern

How to use this at an appointment

Bring the pattern rather than a conclusion. A clinician can interpret migraine at work alongside your examination, medical history, medicines, other conditions and any warning signs. Clea can help you turn your record into a concise appointment summary.

• When did this begin?
• Has it changed?
• How often does it happen?
• What else occurs at the same time?
• What do you most want help with?