Helpful Apps for Migraine Sufferers
Are you tired of keeping the old fashioned, pen and paper migraine journal recommended by your doctor? Switch to a user friendly app and your life will be easier. Consider some of the following apps, try a few and see which one suits your needs best.
Migraine Buddy
Perhaps one of the most advanced migraine diary apps you can find is Migraine Buddy, which has been created by neurologists and other scientists.
It’s more of a virtual doctor than a journal. It allows you to record and identify triggers of a migraine (like anxiety, stress, food, weather, menstruation), the symptoms you experience, the medication you need to take, where is the pain located, how intense it is and other lifestyle changes you could make to improve your condition.
Furthermore, this app will give you a summary report that you can use to take action or share the results with your doctors. A sleep diary is also included – the app detects and records your sleep activity – and you can see how your sleep may connect with a migraine episode.
It is easy to use, and the data stored is secured and protected by HIPAA compliant cloud.
Migraine Buddy is available for Android and Apple devices.
Headache Diary Lite
Similar to Migraine Buddy but older and more basic, Headache Diary Lite has received five star reviews from over 1,000 users. This free app helps you keep track of your migraines and generates a report that you can use to better understand your symptoms or share it with your doctor.
It allows you to track information like when a headache starts (date and time), how long it lasts, where the pain located is and how severe it is, the triggers, the meds you take and how headache affects your life (i.e. unable to work, nausea, etc).
The app will also provide historical list of your migraine episodes and a summary. The pro version includes extra features such as: generation of various reports /charts (i.e. how migraines occur by day of the weak, the time of the day, triggers), customized medication list and more.
Headache Diary Lite and Pro are available for Android devices.
Food Diary
Foods are well known triggers of migraines. With the Food Diary app you can keep track of the foods you eat and your migraine symptoms. As you record the information, you may notice certain patterns and identify the food triggers for your migraines or other conditions (i.e. IBS, heartburn, lactose intolerance, etc).
The app also allows you to search a food before you eat and see if it has caused problems in the past. You can also track other things or triggers such as exercise and stress. Reports can be printed for your review or for your doctor or dietician. It is available for Android devices and costs $0.99.