Headache Diary & Migraine Tracker

Log every headache. Spot triggers. Share clean data with your doctor.

Not a medical device

This diary is for personal tracking only. It does not diagnose or treat any condition. Seek urgent medical care for a sudden severe ("thunderclap") headache, a headache with fever, stiff neck, confusion, weakness, vision loss, slurred speech, or one that follows a head injury.

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About the Headache Diary

The Headache Diary & Migraine Tracker is a private, browser-based log for everyone who deals with recurring headaches — migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, and sinus headaches. Log every episode with timing, severity, location, triggers, symptoms, and medication, and the app surfaces your top triggers and symptoms automatically over time.

  • Tap-to-toggle triggers (stress, sleep, dehydration, foods, weather, hormonal, screen time, and more)
  • Tap-to-toggle symptoms (aura, nausea, light/sound sensitivity, neck stiffness, tingling, etc.)
  • Severity slider (1–10) and optional relief score for medications
  • Stats panel — total episodes, average severity, top 5 triggers, top 5 symptoms, monthly average
  • Filter the log by headache type and month
  • Export to CSV or JSON to share with your neurologist or GP
  • Everything stays in your browser's localStorage — no account, no cloud, no tracking

How to Use the Headache Diary

  1. 1

    Tap "New Entry" at the start of a headache

    The date and time auto-fill to right now. Adjust them if you're logging an earlier episode from memory.

  2. 2

    Pick the type and severity

    Choose Tension, Migraine, Cluster, Sinus, or Other. Drag the severity slider from 1 (mild) to 10 (worst pain you've ever had).

  3. 3

    Tag triggers and symptoms

    Tap every trigger that applies. Don't worry about being wrong — patterns only emerge across many entries. Symptoms work the same way: tap whatever you're experiencing.

  4. 4

    Record any medication and how well it worked

    Note the drug and dose, then rate the relief from 0 (no effect) to 10 (completely gone). This is the most useful piece of data for a doctor reviewing your treatment plan.

  5. 5

    Save the entry

    Hit Save entry. You can edit it later from the list, including duration and notes once the headache has resolved.

  6. 6

    Review patterns weekly or monthly

    Open the stats panel above the entry list to see your top triggers and symptoms. Use the type and month filters to spot seasonal or cyclical patterns.

  7. 7

    Export before your appointment

    Click Export CSV to download your entries as a spreadsheet. Open it in Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets, or attach it to a message to your doctor.

Tip: Trigger patterns usually take 4–8 weeks of consistent logging to emerge. Don't expect insights on day one — the value compounds as you log every episode (and the easy days in between, mentally).

Common Use Cases

Identifying Migraine Triggers

  • • Spot food triggers like chocolate, aged cheese, MSG, processed meat
  • • Correlate menstrual-cycle days with headache frequency
  • • Link sleep-debt or weather changes to episodes

Doctor & Neurologist Visits

  • • Bring exported CSV to specialist consultations
  • • Show frequency trends over months, not vague recall
  • • Document medication overuse risk (rebound headaches)

Tracking Treatment Response

  • • Compare triptan vs NSAID relief scores
  • • Evaluate preventive medication over 8–12 weeks
  • • Test whether lifestyle changes (caffeine, sleep) help

Workplace & Disability Documentation

  • • Record headache days for sick-leave conversations
  • • Support reasonable-adjustment requests with data
  • • Show pattern of disability for insurance claims

Children & Adolescent Headaches

  • • Parent-log episodes for paediatric appointments
  • • Spot school-day vs weekend patterns
  • • Track screen-time and posture correlations

Cluster Headache Bouts

  • • Mark daily attacks within an active bout period
  • • Document remission gaps
  • • Track oxygen or injectable triptan response

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a tension headache and a migraine?

Tension headaches are typically bilateral (both sides), pressing or tightening, mild to moderate, and not made worse by routine activity. Migraines are often unilateral, throbbing, moderate to severe, made worse by movement, and accompanied by nausea, light, or sound sensitivity. Many people experience both at different times.

What is a migraine aura?

An aura is a temporary neurological symptom — most commonly visual (zigzag lines, blind spots, flashing lights), occasionally sensory (tingling, numbness) or speech-related — that precedes the headache phase by 5–60 minutes. Roughly 25–30% of migraine sufferers experience aura.

What are common migraine triggers?

The most-cited triggers in headache literature are stress, lack of sleep (or oversleeping), dehydration, skipped meals, alcohol (especially red wine), caffeine withdrawal, hormonal changes, weather changes, bright lights, strong smells, and certain foods (aged cheese, processed meats, MSG, chocolate). Triggers are highly individual — your top three may not match anyone else's.

How long should I track before patterns appear?

Most clinicians recommend at least 4–8 weeks of consistent logging before drawing conclusions. Single episodes are noisy. The value of a diary is in the trend across dozens of entries, not any one log.

When should I see a doctor?

Seek urgent care for a sudden, severe ("thunderclap") headache, a headache after a head injury, or a headache with fever, stiff neck, vision changes, confusion, weakness, slurred speech, or seizure. Book a non-urgent appointment for: headaches that are increasing in frequency, headaches that disrupt sleep or daily life, a new headache pattern after age 50, or any headache that doesn't respond to over-the-counter medication.

What is medication-overuse headache?

Taking acute headache medication (paracetamol, NSAIDs, triptans, opioids, combination painkillers) too often — typically more than 10–15 days per month for several months — can cause headaches to occur more frequently. Tracking medication days in this diary helps you and your doctor catch this pattern early.

Is my diary private?

Yes. Entries are saved only to your browser's localStorage. Nothing is sent to a server, no account is required, and no analytics or third party can see your data. Clearing your browser data will delete the diary, so export to CSV or JSON periodically if you want a backup.

Can I move my diary to a new device?

Yes. Use Export JSON to save your entries to a file. On the new device, you can import them with a small future feature, or paste them into a new diary. Direct sync between devices isn't supported because we don't store anything on a server.

Will this diagnose me?

No. The diary is not a diagnostic tool. Categorising your own headaches as "migraine" or "tension" is a useful self-observation, but only a clinician can give a real diagnosis. The diary's job is to give you and your doctor better information to work with.