Do you want to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of migraine? At times it feels like there is nothing you can do, but managing migraines isn't just about popping pills, it's about understanding what influences them and creating a well thought out plan using data. And that's where you come in, you have to become your own detective?
Let's find out how you can uncover the information needed to change your life.
Imagine your body is like a crime scene, and every habit you have is a clue. Food, caffeine, alcohol, smoking, exercise, and sleep are all suspects. But how do you gather the evidence in a cohesive constructive way? One thing is for sure we can’t rely on our memory!
Well, it turns out that tracking these habits can be as simple as using a pen and paper diary and apps like Migraine Buddy and Migraine Monitor but over the years I have found tracking information with a good old traditional pen and paper to be strangely therapeutic.
When I write things down it feels like they become fact, concrete and set in reality. I have also found it easier to develop consistent action plans when using pen and paper. This is because when we write we activate particular patterns in our brain that allows us to think differently compared to when we are typing or using an app. It’s also very interesting to read back on all my experiences over the years.
Consistency is key when it comes to data. Think about where the best places are to keep your journal. Having a routine will remind you to record your findings every day. It’s also a good idea to keep your information organized so that you can clearly reflect on the data and design practical action plans. To make things simple and yet organised I developed a migraine journal just for you , here is the link for the paper journal.
Tracking your food is particularly important because we really want to understand how your body is responding to what you consume. Food is data we give our body to perform actions and that is why I want you to pay particular attention to what you eat. For example, do you think that the calories from a chocolate bar is the same as the calories from a steak? Knowing your calorie intake is useful but what is even more important is understanding the different effects of food on your metabolism. Recording this information gives you an opportunity to make changes in the future.
I suggest you record your food intake for the first week without making any changes to get an idea of your patterns of consumption. Remember this is your personal record, no one else has to see it, have no judgment, just record. Based on this data you can start to understand and design a dietary routine that will shape your approach for the management of migraine.
Food tracking is important but it's also important to track things like exercise and sleep .For instance, did you know that even small changes in sleep patterns and exercise routine can trigger a migraine? It's like your body is saying, 'Hey, you're not sleeping right, let's throw a party... in your head!'
Caffeine particularly can be both a friend and a foe. While at the onset or during an attack it can reduce the pain and duration of migraine, consuming coffee on a regular basis is like playing a game of caffeine roulette, except the stakes are your sanity. I have another video dedicated to the topic of caffeine so make sure you have a look at it. To listen to this just click the link.
How do you think your perceived stress and screen time is impacting your migraine? In fact did you know that hormones and stress are intimately related. It all happens through a wonderful system called the HPA axis. How will you know how these factors influence each other if we don’t record it? There are multiple studies to show that addressing these factors can have a significant impact on your migraine frequency and intensity but we can’t change if we don’t know.
What about tracking your pain level? Collecting this data can give us a clear indication if we are moving in the right direction?
Other important things to know about are how you respond to the vitamins, minerals or supplements and how that new prescription from your doctor is influencing your system. Understanding why we take certain medications and tracking the effects they have on our body can give us clear data about which metabolic pathways are likely at fault and how to modify our routines to get as much value as possible from our vitamins, minerals and medications. Maybe you should have a chat with your doctor about that strange medication that is new on your prescription list. Having data about how you are responding can give your doctor clear guidance on how to help you.
Lastly we have to talk about those naughty habits like alcohol and smoking? While I recommend that all migraine patients wean off of these drugs as soon as possible, wouldn't it be interesting to know and see in black and white how these habits contribute to your migraine?
Here's the thing, once you start tracking, you can begin to see how these habits interact with each other. It's like solving a puzzle, piece by piece. You might find that certain foods trigger your migraines or that exercise actually helps reduce them. The more data you collect, the clearer the picture becomes. Every piece of data you collect brings you closer to a life with fewer headaches and more happiness.
So, what's the next step? Start tracking today! Subscribe to my channel and pop me a message for your free digital copy of the Beyond Migraine Journal or go to the link in the description to get your own paper copy today. Remember this first week is all about getting a baseline on which you can start to act and from there you can make simple practical consistent changes to learn what works and what doesn’t.
Keep in mind this is your personal journey to take back control of your life.
And if you're curious about what to do with all this data don’t worry, I have you covered, my Beyond Migraine course helps you decipher all this information in the comfort of your own home.
Stay tuned for our next blog and video where we will continue discovering the surprising ways these factors can impact your migraines.