Increasing visual comfort when using this learning module
If it’s hard for you to tolerate reading the screen, try decreasing your screen brightness. You can also use your device’s dark mode or built-in screen filter (night shift for Macs or night light for PCs).
Remember to sit parallel to a window. Do not face a window or have your back to one.
Use the 20-20-20 rule: for every 20 minutes of using your screen, take a 20-second break and look into the distance (around 20 feet away).
If these strategies don’t help, you can use a screen reader and have your device or computer read the on-screen text out loud. Common screen readers are Read Aloud, Speak Screen (see
Spoken Content in the
Accessibility settings of iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers), and Select to Speak (on Android devices). You can also print off the module’s pages and read them.
Do you have both headaches and sleep problems? It's very common for these 2 conditions to co-exist. Unfortunately, sleep problems can trigger or worsen headaches, and headaches can interrupt sleep.
This learning module can help you learn more about your sleep habits and discover strategies to improve your sleep. We hope that incorporating some of the strategies in this module will also reduce your headaches.
You can learn about:
- the relationship between sleep problems and headaches
- common sleep problems for people with migraines, tension-type headaches, or concussions
- how sleep is controlled
- basic strategies to improve your sleep (called sleep hygiene)
- the impact of shiftwork on sleep and headaches, and strategies to try
- strategies to help with relaxation and manage stress
- more advanced sleep strategies like stimulus control and sleep restriction
- the role of sleep medicines and supplements
- how to track your sleep in general and how to track your sleep over time
- making an action plan to monitor, understand, and improve your sleep
For a short introduction on how migraine can impact sleep watch
Migraine Minute from the American Migraine Foundation.
The contents of this module were prepared by the Calgary Headache Assessment and Management Program (CHAMP) with kind assistance from the headache team at Calgary’s Chronic Pain Centre.
