Anyone who has had a migraine knows that it’s not “just a bad headache”. You are painfully aware (pun intended) of how debilitating they are… and the last thing you want is to have to work while you have one. Unfortunately, sometimes you don’t have a choice: you have a client proposal that needs to be submitted by 18:00 that day, or a board meeting first thing in the morning and you haven’t prepared it yet. So when a migraine strikes at the worst possible time, there are steps you can take to mitigate the damage.
/1/ Migraine medication. Don’t wait: as soon as you feel a migraine coming on, take your “go-to” migraine medication. This is especially important in situations where you know you have to work for the next few hours. If you’re in the office regularly, keep some at your desk at all times. You can even keep them in your wallet.
/2/ Computer lighting. Your immediate reaction will, rightly, be to lower the brightness of your computer screen to reduce the discomfort you’re experiencing. But one important trick is to use the Night Light (Windows) or Night Shift (Mac OS) feature. Whilst it’s not recommended that you use the Night Light/Shift mode regularly during the day, if you have a migraine, this option could certainly help. Turning on this feature reduces the blue light emitted from the screen, and therefore strains the eyes less – which is key when you are experiencing a migraine. Best of all, you can adjust this feature to your preference.
/3/ Glasses. If you’re wearing contact lenses, take them out and replace them with glasses with computer-screen filters. This will help reduce the light reaching your eyes. If you don’t have FL-41 filters on your glasses already, consider asking your optician about them: they block out blue-green light, which can trigger, or worsen, migraines.
/4/ Caffeine & food. Although the extent to which caffeine can trigger some migraines is still unclear, migraine tablets often contain caffeine, specifically because it helps analgesics work faster. It also causes vasoconstriction and reduces cerebral blood flow, which eases migraine pain. A little food can sometimes help too, but that largely depends on the individual person and the specific migraine.
/5/ Take a break. If your schedule allows it, take a break to hydrate, lie down, draw the curtains, close your eyes, and rest. Even 20 minutes of lying down in the dark or a short power nap can have a positive effect. The more you invest in recovery earlier in the migraine, the bigger your return on investment. This, of course, is easier to do if you work from home than it is if you’re at the office.
/6/ Clear your schedule. Whilst this isn’t always possible, whatever you can clear from your schedule without having negative repercussions, clear it. Use that time to rest or get your work done – whichever one makes the most sense at the time.
/7/ Delegate what you can. Desperate times call for desperate measures, even for those who enjoy having full control over things. If you’re struggling to work (or struggling to work at your usual speed and efficiency), you will have to delegate tasks at short notice in order to meet tight deadlines or to help lighten your workload while you’re in pain. Delegate whatever needs doing and that can be done by somebody else (a personal assistant, a direct report, your manager, etc.).
Remember: those who have never experienced a migraine, or those have never lived with someone who has, won’t fully understand the level of pain and discomfort you’re experiencing. It’s important that you’re prepared to handle a migraine as soon as one strikes so you can mitigate your discomfort, especially if you have no choice but to work through one.