Headaches are the most common type of pain and a major reason why people miss work or school. There are many types of headaches, including migraine, tension and cluster headaches. Read more about headaches.
Migraine and headache apps have the potential to help you manage your condition better.
- Many apps enable you to log details about your headaches, including the intensity, duration, frequency, location, and associated symptoms. This helps you identify triggers and patterns in your migraine attacks.
- Diary features can help identify potential triggers for your headaches, eg, certain foods, drinks, weather changes, hormonal fluctuations, stress, or lack of sleep.
- Having a headache diary can also help you describe to your healthcare team how your pain has been affecting you over time.
- Some pain apps may offer tips, tools and techniques to manage your headache, eg, mindfulness, breathing techniques or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Here are some tips for how to use headache and migraine apps safely.
How to use pain management safely
Do (✔)
- Use the headache and migraine app under the supervision of a health professional. They can help you assess if the app is suitable for you.
- Use an app to keep track of your symptoms as part of your management plan.
- Use graphs and reporting for a discussion with your healthcare provider.
- Be careful when reading information on discussion boards or group chat rooms. Some apps have interactive features where users can share their experiences.
- Be cautious because in most cases these aren't monitored by a health professional so the advice or suggestions may not be safe or effective.
- Know when to seek help.
Don’t (✘)
- Rely on apps to make a diagnosis of your condition.
- Use treatments without first seeking medical and professional advice.
- Make changes to your medicines based on the recommendations from the app.
