Keeping a Headache Diary
Why Keeping Track of Your Headaches is the Best Way to Treat Them
Keeping a detailed diary of each headache episode you experience can be the best way for your physician to diagnose and treat your painful symptoms.
Whether you suffer from reoccurring tension headaches or painful migraines, keeping a headache diary can help you track your symptoms and identify triggers as well as help your physician properly diagnose the kinds of headaches you are experiencing, for the best possible treatment.
What is a Headache Diary?
A headache diary is a log that details the specifics of each headache that you experience. To get the most out of your headache diary, it should contain the following information for each and every headache that you experience:
- Date
- Time of onset
- Time of relief
- Any warning signs/symptoms
- Location of headache pain
- Describe pain (throbbing, pressure, piercing)
- Intensity of pain on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being most severe)
- Accompanying symptoms of headache
- Medication or treatment administered
- Effectiveness of treatment
- Did this headache interfere with normal daily activities?
- How many hours of sleep did you get the night before?
- What did you eat before the onset of the headache?
- What activities were you doing prior to onset of headache?
- Any additional information that you feel might be helpful to note (ex. for women, where were you in your menstrual cycle when headache occurred?)
How to Keep a Headache Diary
Ideally, you should jot down all pertinent information about your headache each time one occurs. It may be difficult to do this in the midst of a painful episode, so you should try to fill in all the information as soon as you start to feel better. The sooner you do so, the less likely you will be to forget any potentially useful diagnostic information. Be sure to track every headache.
Benefits of Keeping a Headache Diary
Keeping a headache diary is especially important for those who have not had their headaches formally diagnosed yet by their physician. By tracking all of the information about each of your episodes, you and your doctor will be able to see any patterns or triggers more easily. Things like stress, food or symptoms can point to other problems as well, and by noting these in your diary, your doctor can make an easier diagnosis, as well as decide upon any additional tests to administer. Finally, keeping a headache diary can help your doctor decide the best method of treatment for your headaches.
Taking Your Headache History
While your doctor may take a headache history as part of your exam, you can spend some time before hand reflecting on your past headaches and compile your own headache history as well. Your headache history should include the following information:
- At what age did you begin experiencing headaches?
- How long have you been suffering with headaches?
- Do you suffer from the same type of headache each time or do you experience multiple headache types?
- How often do you get headaches?
- Are there any headache triggers that you are aware of?
- Do you have a family history of headaches?
- Do you miss work or school because of your headaches?
Bring your headache diary with you to your next doctor's appointment and use it as a tool for helping your doctor to diagnose and treat your specific headache.
