You do not need to complete a long form while you have a migraine. A useful record can start with the time the attack began. Add what you remember later, when a screen and a list of questions feel less demanding. The Migraine Trust recommends keeping a diary simple and recording basic details such as duration, severity, symptoms and medication.
During the attack: the minimum
Note the date and approximate start time. If you can manage one more detail, write down whether the pain is still ongoing or how it affects what you can do. An estimate is more useful than skipping the entry because you cannot remember the exact minute. In Migrelle's quick log, you can start an attack first and fill in details later; the pain score is optional.
Add details when you feel better
Record when the attack ended, an approximate 0–10 pain score, symptoms such as nausea or sensitivity to light, and any aura you noticed. Add medication name, dose and time if you took something. A possible factor such as poor sleep or a missed meal is a note to explore, not a proven cause. If you do not know a start or end time, mark it as unknown rather than inventing precision.
Make the record useful at an appointment
Across several weeks, count migraine or headache days, days when symptoms limited your activities, and days on which you took medication. A clinician can use the timeline and your medication history alongside their own assessment. Migrelle can create an on-device 90-day PDF summary; it does not diagnose migraine or calculate MIDAS or HIT-6 scores.
Keep logging manageable
Use the same short routine each time. Skip optional fields on difficult days. If detailed tracking feels stressful, return to a simple date, duration and medication note. Our gentle diary guide offers a smaller starting point. New, suddenly severe or changing headaches deserve medical advice; an app log does not replace an assessment.
