• Pause demanding activity. Try a quiet space with dim, comfortable lighting.
• Support your head and body in a position that suits your other conditions.
• Sleep if it helps, but resting does not have to mean sleeping.
• Allow time after the pain eases: fatigue and brain fog can continue.

Small start: put down the screen and settle somewhere comfortable.

The Migraine Trust: coping with an attack External site ↗

• Adjust glare, screen brightness, noise or smells that worsen your symptoms.
• Simplify meals, decisions and household tasks. Ask for practical help.
• Keep drinks and easy, tolerated food within reach. Skipping meals can make migraine harder to manage.
• Choose changes based on your own experience. You do not need to avoid every possible trigger or start a restrictive diet.

Small start: “Could we turn that light down and postpone this conversation?”

Some apparent triggers are early signs of an attack already beginning. A flare is not proof that you did something wrong.

Understanding triggers and early symptoms External site ↗

• Break tasks into smaller parts and build in breaks before you become overwhelmed.
• Alternate demanding tasks with easier ones. Reduce the total amount if needed.
• Use flexible anchors for meals, fluids and sleep rather than a rigid timetable.
• On a better day, leave room for recovery instead of catching up on everything.
• Between attacks, choose enjoyable movement that fits your health and capacity. If you have ME/CFS or post-exertional malaise, use the adaptations below.

Small start: do one necessary part of a task, then reassess.

Pacing is a practical adaptation. Evidence for regular migraine routines is stronger than evidence for pacing itself as a migraine preventive treatment.

Breaks and adjustments at work External site ↗

Stopping, switching tasks and remembering basic needs can be difficult—especially during hyperfocus.

• Rest: try familiar, low-demand stimulation if complete stillness feels uncomfortable, such as quiet audio if tolerated.
• Reduce: prepare a simple migraine kit and keep instructions short. Make water and a snack easy to notice.
• Pace: use a gentle reminder or a trusted person’s prompt for food, fluids and breaks. Give a task a clear stopping point.

If headaches, appetite or sleep change with ADHD medicine, discuss this with your prescriber rather than adjusting it yourself.

NHS: ADHD strategies and support External site ↗

Sensory needs, transitions and communication needs can affect how accessible migraine support feels.

• Rest: choose familiar surroundings and comfortable sensory input. Quiet and darkness are options, not rules.
• Reduce: lower troublesome light, noise, smells and social demands. Offer written choices and processing time.
• Pace: keep a predictable, flexible routine with warning before transitions. Include recovery after outings or demanding interactions.

Ask what helps rather than assuming all autistic people need the same sensory environment.

Harvard Adult Autism Health: migraine headaches External site ↗

National Autistic Society: sensory processing External site ↗

A better headache day does not necessarily mean more energy is available. Post-exertional malaise (PEM) can be delayed and prolonged.

• Rest: plan rest within your energy limits. Reduce sensory and cognitive effort as well as physical effort.
• Reduce: count conversations, screens, decisions and upright time as demands. Shortening a task may not be enough if the total remains too high.
• Pace: use individual energy management. Account for symptoms later that day and over subsequent days.

Do not use fixed increases in activity or push through symptoms. Migraine or fibromyalgia exercise advice must be adapted when ME/CFS is present. Energy management supports living within limits; it is not a cure.

NICE: ME/CFS management and energy management External site ↗

Widespread pain, fatigue and unrefreshing sleep can make migraine recovery more demanding.

• Rest: use cushions and comfortable support. Change position gently if remaining still increases pain.
• Reduce: simplify heavy or repetitive tasks. Avoid pressure or temperature treatments that worsen your symptoms.
• Pace: balance activity with breaks. Between attacks, individually suitable movement can help fibromyalgia. Start with what your clinician and your body can support.

If PEM or ME/CFS is also present, follow the ME/CFS adaptations rather than automatically increasing exercise.

NHS: fibromyalgia treatment External site ↗

Migraine can co-exist with functional neurological disorder. Both deserve appropriate assessment and treatment.

• Rest: follow your agreed plan for migraine and functional symptoms, including safe support during episodes.
• Reduce: simplify instructions and make the environment safe if movement or balance is affected.
• Pace: coordinate breaks and activity with your FND rehabilitation team. Prolonged withdrawal from activity is not a universal FND treatment.

Do not assume new weakness, speech difficulty or other new neurological symptoms are your usual migraine or FND. Seek urgent assessment.

Neurosymptoms: headache and FND External site ↗

FND information from neurologists External site ↗

Standing, heat and dehydration may worsen POTS symptoms alongside migraine.

• Rest: sit or recline when upright symptoms build. If faint, lie down if safe. Adapt positioning if breathing or reflux makes this difficult.
• Reduce: do preparation tasks seated, avoid overheating and reduce long periods standing.
• Pace: allow time for position changes and breaks. Keep fluids accessible and follow your individual POTS plan.

Extra salt, fluid targets and compression need individual advice. Movement or rehabilitation should also account for PEM if present.

NHS: POTS management External site ↗

Smells, smoke or other exposures can make a space uncomfortable. Migraine sensitivity, airway irritation and allergy are different processes, even when symptoms overlap.

• Rest: choose a comfortable, smoke-free space. During asthma symptoms, sit upright and follow your asthma action plan.
• Reduce: avoid your known allergens and irritants. Fragrance-free products may be easier to tolerate. Essential oils are not a necessary migraine support.
• Pace: separate cleaning or other exposure-heavy tasks. Use help where possible, and choose lower-exposure times or places.

Environmental symptoms do not by themselves prove allergy or toxic injury. Ask for assessment of persistent or changing symptoms.

Tell your prescriber about asthma and previous medicine reactions. Some migraine medicines, including certain beta blockers and anti-inflammatory painkillers, may be unsuitable. Do not stop prescribed medicines without advice.

NHS: asthma and action plans External site ↗

Australian Asthma Handbook: triggers and medicine considerations External site ↗