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This short, quick interactive Headache Tool can help you figure out if your headaches could be migraine.

It explains that migraine headaches can often be diagnosed by primary care doctors, though you may require a referral to a specialist doctor called a neurologist. The process typically involves a review of medical and family history, along with physical and neurological exams. Tools like headache symptom diaries can help identify patterns and triggers.

“How Is Migraine Diagnosed?” | 3 minute read

A symptom diary is a really important part of diagnosing and managing migraine headaches. (Read more about how it can help here.) Here’s some expert advice on how to get started.

To summarize, here are two ways of doing it. You can experiment to find what works for you!

Option 1 — Check in each night about how migraine impacted your day

As she describes in the video, Dr. Amaal Starling, a migraine specialist at Mayo Clinic, suggests her patients use a paper calendar and three markers — red, yellow, and green. Keep the calendar next to your toothbrush or somewhere you have a habit of going each day. Each day, mark the calendar with a color:

• No mark — No headache or symptoms
• Green day — Had symptoms, but you could function
• Yellow day — Had symptoms and you could do things but you had to modify your day
• Red day — Headache or symptoms meant you couldn’t do your usual activities, like going to work or school

Option 2 — Keep a notebook or smartphone app that tracks more detail

Track things like:

• Date and day of week
• Duration (how long the headache lasted)
• Severity (mild, moderate, or severe)
• Other symptoms (dizziness, vertigo, light sensitivity, sound, smells, numbness, movement symptoms)
• Details on what happened immediately before the attack began, including any medication taken in the hours prior
• If you did anything to address your symptoms, and if it helped (took medicine, lay in a dark room, etc.)

From MyMigraineTeam members who can relate

“I was told to keep a migraine diary by the doctor responsible for my injections. I saw some change the first month and continued to see improvement each month thereafter.”

“I’ve done this for a few years now. It is very helpful for the doctor.”