Migraines in the workplace

I used to suffer from migraines on an almost daily basis, I often attributed it to tiredness, lack of sleep of lack of caffeine. A few years later I developed bruxism – grinding of teeth at night, probably due to stress and anxiety. My husband helpfully told me that it was probably the cause of my early morning headaches.

I recently watched a segment on BBC news highlighting the fact that 1 in 7 people struggle with migraines daily. Many of whom have had days off work due to the severity of the condition, making them unable to function normally. This statistic was surprising to me, certainly higher than I’d ever thought. My previous episodes seemed so mild in comparison, I never needed to take time off work even on my worst days.

It must be horrible to live with a condition that is so severe but also so unseen. To have to convince someone that it is difficult to do your normal daily tasks because you feel a deep burning pain in your brain, behind your eyes and sometimes, abnormal sensations all over your face.

It was encouraging to hear that workplaces are being made aware of small changes they can make to make people more comfortable, such as arranging chairs away from direct sunlight, adjusting the temperature in the room, arranging flexible working hours or even hybrid working.