Your migraine at school
Here are some easy steps you can take at school to help prevent a migraine attack:
- Try not to get upset and anxious at school; it can be difficult when you are revising for tests so make sure you find time to relax.
- Particular foods can give you a migraine attack; everyone is different so watch out for any food triggers. These could include Marmite, bananas, or chocolate, for example.
- If you have any long lessons at school and the classroom is stuffy, try to make sure you sit near a window that you can open.
- White boards and painted white walls can be quite dazzling; try different positions in the classroom before your class begins, to find out where you will be most comfortable.
- Try to drink 1 - 2 litres of water each day; dehydration can be a trigger for an attack.
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Make sure that you don't go longer than 3 or 4 hours without food during the day. Take additional snacks to school to keep your blood sugars level.
If you do get a lot of migraine attacks at school and need to quickly leave the classroom, you may want a young migraineurs Migraine ACTION! card pack. This card pack explains why you need to leave your class and can be shown to your teacher so you don't have to explain every time you feel a migraine starting. This can mean you can be excused quickly, which can be very important if you are feeling sick or need to go to the toilet, for example. Click here to request your card pack and make sure you talk to your parents / carers before using it as they may need to speak to your school / teacher first.
Information for you at school
Click on the links below to download information to help your migraine at school:
- Adventure booklet - learn more about migraine.
- Migraine diary sheets - these can be used to write down all your migraine symptoms and will help you to identify your triggers. Your migraine diary will also help your doctor when you go for appointments.
- Plan of action sheet - you can write down things you need to remember to help manage your migraine.
- Migraine chatterbox game - create your own story and help your friends understand what happens when you have a migraine.
- Toby Tortoise's word search - see if you can find Toby Tortoise and his friends in this word search
- Migraine Snakes & Ladders - every migraine is different; there are things that help, things that don't help, and things that can cause them. Each snake and ladder will help you to learn more about migraine triggers and lifestyle tips.
- Fundraise for Migraine Action - get involved and raise awareness of migraine. (coming soon).
- Get your migraine story in a newspaper - if you would like to talk to the media about your migraine, become a media volunteer by filling out this form.
- Join Migraine Action - become a member and get all the latest news. This is free to migraineurs under 18 years.