Keep a Headache Diary to Identify the Causes of the Headache
Headaches often take us by surprise. Was that the third cup of coffee? Or a morning run ? Wait, maybe it was yesterday’s bottle of wine – who knows. If you have frequent headaches and want to determine the cause, a headache diary can help you get ahead of the next episode.
Just as keeping a food diary can help you become more aware of your eating behavior and food choices, a headache diary can help you be more mindful of things that may be hurting you. In benign cases, you may simply be predisposed to headaches , stress, dehydration, excessive caffeine use, or anxiety about something in the environment (such as bright lights or strong odors). In other cases, they can be a symptom of an underlying medical problem, such as food intolerances .
When you keep a diary of headaches, you will have something to show your doctor to explain why they happen, and he will have bullets to help you heal. You will want to include details such as:
- When your headache started and stopped
- Time and day of the week
- Pain location
- Pain intensity (on a scale from 1 to 10).
- Activities and surrounding circumstances
- The last meal you ate around the time you had your headache
- Steps you have taken to ease your headache
To get started, use a template from Harvard Health Publications (link below) or this template from the National Headache Foundation . For techies, there are free iHeadache or Migraine Buddy apps (click here for Android ).
Headache Diary | Harvard Health Publications