What to Track in a Headache Diary (and Why It Matters)
The data points that actually help identify your triggers — and the ones that just create noise.
- •A good diary makes invisible patterns visible — without becoming a chore.
- •Track date/time, severity, character, associated symptoms, medication, sleep, hydration, stress, and cycle.
- •Skip exhaustive free-text journaling and food-by-food logging — they create noise, not signal.
- •Patterns usually appear after 4–6 weeks, not in a single week.
Want to apply this context to your own experience?
See how the App worksThe goal of a headache diary
A good diary makes invisible patterns visible. You're not trying to record everything — you're trying to capture enough that, looking back, you can see what reliably precedes an attack and what reliably helps.
The core fields worth tracking
- Date and time the headache started and ended.
- Severity on a simple 1–10 scale.
- Character and location — throbbing/pressing, one-sided/bilateral.
- Associated symptoms — nausea, light/sound sensitivity, aura.
- Medication taken, dose, and whether it helped.
- Sleep the night before — hours and quality.
- Hydration and meals — particularly missed meals or low fluid intake.
- Stress and mood — a simple 1–5 rating is enough.
- Cycle — for those who menstruate, day of cycle.
What not to bother with
Long free-text journaling rarely helps. Tracking dozens of possible food triggers each day creates noise. Stick to the fields above for at least 4–6 weeks before drawing conclusions.
Reading the data
Look for what was different in the 24–48 hours before an attack rather than at the moment it started. Migraine prodrome (the warning phase) can begin a full day before pain. Patterns rarely appear in a single week — give it time.
Key takeaways
- ✓Less, but consistent, beats detailed but sporadic.
- ✓Look at the 24–48 hours before an attack, not just the attack itself.
- ✓Track medication alongside symptoms to catch overuse early.
- ✓Give it at least 4–6 weeks before drawing conclusions.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
From general guide to your own pattern
This guide covers the general picture. The App records your specific pattern — timing, triggers, sleep, stress and medication use — and turns it into a summary report you can discuss with your primary healthcare provider.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your GP or specialist for diagnosis and acute care.
On medication: HeadacheRecovery takes a non-pharmacological, tracking-based approach. Where research on medicines is mentioned it is background context only, not a recommendation. Any decision to start, stop or change a medicine belongs with your prescribing clinician.