Working from home with migraine

If you get a migraine attack when you’re working from home, you may feel like you should be able to ‘push through’ and continue working. But if you are finding it difficult to work, it’s better to take the time off you need in order to feel better. Otherwise, you may find your migraine attacks last longer or bounce back. It can also contribute to ‘burnout’ at work.

You may sometimes feel that you are able to carry on working during a migraine attack. This will be very individual to you. It will depend on what symptoms you have, how severe they are and your job role. It’s worth having an open conversation about this with your manager.

Keeping a routine when working from home is important. It can be even more important for people with migraine, especially if changes to routine act as a trigger. Try to stick to similar timings for going to bed, getting up and eating as much as possible.

Having something that you use as a prompt for starting and finishing work can help. This might be having breakfast before starting work and doing some light exercise when you finish.

Try not to work longer than your usual hours and try to ‘leave’ your workspace in some way at the end of the day. This might just mean turning off your laptop for the day.

Taking regular breaks is important, especially if you’re working at a computer. Use the chance to get up, move around and get some fresh air if you can. Some people find it helps to change position regularly. Even sitting on the sofa for a while rather than at a desk can help to break things up.

Many people find being dehydrated or going for long periods without eating can trigger a migraine attack. Getting up to prepare a snack or drink can be a good opportunity for a break.

You may not always be able to set up a proper workstation at home. But it’s important to try and make your work area as migraine-friendly as possible.

• Try to make sure your work area is well lit, using as much natural light as possible. Avoid glare from sunlight, bright, artificial lights, and flickering or flashing lights. Desk lamps that direct light evenly across your work area can help.
• Many people find that migraine can be associated with muscle tension in the head, neck and shoulder areas. Try to use a suitable desk and chair, with good lower back support to prevent neck and back pain. You should be able to rest your feet flat on the floor, with your computer and screen directly in front of you.
• Try not to sit too close to the screen – generally about an arm length’s away is recommended. Your screen should be positioned so the top of the screen is at eye level.
• It can help to have a separate screen to use with a laptop. Or, you can use a laptop stand to raise your laptop to the right height, with a separate keyboard and mouse.
• You may be able to use items around your house to help make your workstation more comfortable. These might include a cushion for your back or a box to rest your feet on. But if you need certain equipment, talk to your manager or HR department.

The light emitted by computer screens can trigger migraine for some people. Eye strain from looking at screens for a long time can also lead to headaches. There are things you can do to help manage this.

• Have regular breaks from the screen. Even just looking away from the screen from time to time can help. Short, frequent breaks from the screen – such as 5 to 10 minutes every hour – can be better than longer, less frequent breaks.
• Use an anti-glare screen or filter to reduce the amount of light reflected from your screen. There isn’t a particular type or brand of screen or filter that is recommended for migraine. It’s worth researching different products and reading reviews to find one that might suit you. Remember that while anti-glare screens and filters may help some people with migraine, they don’t help everyone.
• You may also find it helps to use a blue light filter. You can download software to reduce blue light on your screen. You may also be able to use ‘Night light’ settings on your computer to do this.
• Adjust the brightness of your screen to a level that suits you. Generally, it should be similar to the light around the screen. You may also find it helpful to try using ‘dark mode’ in your settings. There are certain apps and software available that allows you to adjust screen brightness too.
• Try adjusting the screen refresh rate in your computer settings. Usually, a higher rate is better.
• If video calls and meetings are an issue, turn off the video function and use audio only. It can help colleagues to understand if you explain in advance why you may need to do this. Aim to spread calls and meetings throughout the day or consider other ways to connect with colleagues.