With Daylight Savings just six days away, it's important that migraine and headache patients prepare for change. Migraine brains traditionally do not like change, so a change in the clock can trigger a migraine attack or bad headache.  In order to best prepare, consider the next week as an opportunity to slowly “fall back.” 

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What, exactly, does this mean? Rather than falling back an hour on Sunday, November 6, start falling back on Wednesday, November 2, fifteen minutes a day.  This means shifting your schedule by fifteen minutes each day.  So if you typically wake at 6:30, drink coffee at 9am and go to bed at 10pm, you would adapt to this schedule

• Wednesday, November 2: 6:45am wake time, 9:15am coffee time, 10:15pm bedtime 
• Thursday, November 3: 7am wake time, 9:30am coffee time, 10:30pm bedtime
• Friday, November 4: 7:15am wake time, 9:45am coffee time, 10:45pm bedtime
• Saturday, November 5: 7:30am wake time, 10am coffee time, 11pm bedtime 

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Just as important to consider with sleep is exercise and mindful activities. So while you're eager to dip into Netflix as soon as you finish working from home, indulge in a mindful activity such as coloring, knitting, or crossword puzzle. Shift your evening walk to the morning, so that you can enjoy morning sunshine. Talk to your doctor about a vitamin D supplement to take during the darker season.

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Managing sleep hygiene and meal times is one of the most effective things we can do this week to make next week much more tolerable. This will make the transition easier to tolerate, so that it’s less likely to trigger a migraine attack or headache when work begins on Monday. 

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