Health Tips: “Tips for Making Yourself as Comfortable as Possible During a Migraine Attack”

Manage light sensitivity with soft lighting

I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to manage light triggers.

Close to 90 percent of people with migraine experience photophobia (light sensitivity), and light can intensify an attack within seconds, according to the National Headache Foundation.




Many living with migraine disease experience photophobia even when an attack is not active. In my home, we have dimmers on every lamp, salt lamps in multiple rooms, fairy lights strung over bookshelves, and windows outfitted with light-filtering and blackout curtains. When a migraine attack strikes, I immediately dim the lighting around me to help calm my nervous system. When I experience migraine pain outside of the softly lit cocoon of my home, I rely heavily on sunglasses and a baseball hat.

When traveling, I bring a weighted eye mask, which helps mimic the relief I get from my blackout curtains at home. Migraine prevention lenses have also been extremely helpful in managing light triggers, both indoors and out.

Be ready for heat and ice therapy

Heat and ice are two of my most constant migraine companions.

I generally prefer ice for severe pain — so much so in fact, that an entire shelf in our freezer is dedicated to my collection of ice packs of different sizes and types. I also find hot water bottles and microwaveable heat packs helpful when applied at the base of my head, on my neck, or over my eyes. When experimenting with heat or ice for pain management, it’s critical to find what works for you.




Some people adamantly prefer one over the other, and then there are those of us who use both. Neither is superior; it just depends on your brain, how it responds to external stimuli, and the type of attack you’re experiencing.

Keep your rescue medication easily accessible

If you use acute rescue medications, take time when you’re not in the middle of an attack to organize them to be easily accessible. This might mean putting together a migraine first aid kit or stocking a drawer in your bedside table with meds, nausea-friendly snacks, and water bottles.

If you live with others, it can be helpful to show them where you keep things and what you need in the middle of an attack. One thing that has not changed in my decade of living with migraine is the advice from every neurologist echoing that “the sooner the treatments are administered, the more effective they are.” Knowing how crucial this timing is, I’m careful to not leave the house without a mini migraine first aid kit on hand that includes my rescue medications.

Make your shower ‘migraine friendly’

Two words: shower stool. I never thought I’d own a shower stool in my 20s, but here we are! One of the most effective ways for me to find temporary pain relief is to let hot water wash over my throbbing head and eyes. A shower stool makes this possible and comfortable, even when I’m really struggling. I spent years sitting on the shower floor during migraine attacks — never a pleasant experience — and wish I had discovered this tool sooner.




There are inexpensive, compact versions easily available online. Depending on your sensitivity to smells, it can also be helpful to put a few drops of peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil on the shower floor.

Wrapping up in a dark room beneath a pile of blankets and soft pillows is one thing I am always able to find gratitude for, even during my worst attacks. Feeling supported by your external environment can be deeply comforting and even signal to your nervous system that you are safe — helping to interrupt the natural fight, flight, or freeze response that pain elicits.

I could write an entire article about my favorite blankets, pillows, and bed linens. Whatever your personal favorites are, outfit yourself with comfort in the space where you tend to “ride out” a migraine storm. You deserve it.

Applying the same careful intention to your wardrobe can bring even more support inside of an attack. On the days migraine leaves you bed- or home-bound, wearing comfortable clothes that don’t feel frumpy can elevate your mood and quiet your inner critic. Be sensitive to your body and start to notice what fabrics feel soothing and which actually add discomfort to your day (farewell, jeans).

Mindfulness is widely supported by major neurology and headache institutions as an effective tool for managing migraine. ResearchTrusted Source shows that mindfulness meditation, which focuses on nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, can contribute to improved quality of life, lessened pain severity, and improved symptoms of depression in people living with chronic pain. Migraine flares can trigger an avalanche of fear, guilt, and shame-based thinking. Mindfulness, particularly meditation, is an incredibly helpful tool to notice these narratives — choose ones that are more compassionate.I also rely on writing to mindfully move through pain. I have journaled myself from a place of “high pain panic” to “high pain peace” more times than I can count. Sometimes, spilling all of my emotion, worry, or frustration onto paper allows me to unload and create space for gentle acceptance — or at least active non-resistance.

You are tougher than migraine

Part of what makes chronic migraine such a difficult condition to live with is its lack of predictability. Attacks can be chaotic in their frequency and onset, without clear patterns. This can make any attempt to control them feel distant, and at times, impossible. Taking ownership of your environment is one way to put you back in the “driver’s seat” of your mind and body.

When you feel like you have tools, both pharmaceutical and otherwise, to adequately treat and manage your pain, you become more capable of reducing the burden of migraine in your life. As you explore new strategies, be patient with yourself. What helps others may not work for you. And in moments where your migraine attacks feel like the toughest thing in the world, remind yourself that you are tougher.