Bring a short headache diary if you can, but do not wait to finish one before seeking care. A useful record shows how often headaches happen, how long they last, what else you noticed and what you took. It gives your clinician more to work with than a recollection of the most painful day.
Start with a format you will use
A sheet of paper, a notes app or a simple calendar can work. Pick one place so the entries do not end up spread across text messages, receipts and medication reminders. You do not need a paid app, an elaborate scoring system or a wearable to keep this record.
NICE recommends that, when a diary is used for headache diagnosis, it record details including frequency, duration, severity, associated symptoms, medications and possible precipitants. The guideline suggests at least eight weeks in that setting. That is a clinical recording recommendation, not an instruction to put off an appointment.
If you already have a visit booked, bring whatever you have. If you cannot remember the exact start time, use an honest estimate such as “after lunch” rather than inventing precision.
Record the episode and the effect
Write the date, roughly when the headache started and when it eased or stopped. Use a simple severity description consistently. Add one example of what changed: you stayed at work but needed to stop reading, missed a meal with friends or had to leave a noisy room.
Note other symptoms you actually experienced, such as nausea or sensitivity to light. If the pain changed during the episode, a few plain words can be enough. Do not try to assign a diagnosis to each entry.
Mark headache-free days if you can. An empty day can otherwise mean either no headache or no entry, and those are not the same when you look back at the week.
Write down what you took
Include the names of prescription and nonprescription medicines used for the headache and when you took them. If you know the dose, record it as actually taken. A photo of the package can help you confirm the name later.
Add a short note about what happened afterward, such as “pain eased enough to eat dinner” or “still had to stop working.” That is more useful than describing a medicine as good or bad without context.
The diary is not a dosing guide. Keep following your instructions and ask a pharmacist or clinician if you are unsure what you can take. Include use on days you might otherwise forget, such as when you take an over-the-counter product during a work shift.
Describe a pattern without deciding what caused it
You can note details that seem relevant: a different sleep schedule, missed meals, another illness or timing in relation to menstruation. A repeated association can be worth discussing, but the diary alone does not establish that one event caused the headache.
It is possible to notice a pattern simply because the same events happen together often. For example, a late meeting, a later meal and a headache can occur on the same evening. Write what happened rather than immediately cutting out a food or changing several habits at once.
Make a short summary for the visit
Count the headache days you recorded and choose two examples: a typical episode and one that was different. Bring the original entries so the clinician can check details. Then put your main question at the top, whether it is about frequency, a new symptom or what to do if another episode interrupts work.
A family member’s observation may help if they noticed something you could not see, but keep that observation separate from your own symptoms. Likewise, note when an entry was reconstructed later rather than written on the day.
Know when the notebook can wait
Seek immediate emergency help for a suddenly extremely painful headache or a headache with new weakness, trouble speaking or loss of vision. The NHS also advises getting medical advice for recurring headaches and urgent advice for certain changes. If you are unsure about urgency, contact an appropriate local health service rather than relying on the diary to decide.
The purpose of the record is a clearer conversation. A small set of accurate notes, along with your questions and medication information, is enough to make a useful start.