Whether you’ve always worked from home or your lifestyle is new to you due to COVID-19, you probably already know that the benefits of working from home also have their downsides. While not having to commute every day or dress in your best clothes can be an advantage, it has disadvantages of many kinds.
Migraines are the number one work-related discomfort experienced by people working from home today. Especially if you live with your partner, and even more so if they also work from home. While we are allowed more control over our environment, eye strain and tiredness from staring at a laptop all day are not ideal. These are all the ways working from home causes migraines.
1. Too Much Screen Time and Zoom Fatigue
Lectures and meetings were never fun, but they helped you take a break from all that screen time. If you’re stuck in Zoom meetings now, you’ll practically be soaking your eyes in blue light all day long. Fortunately, there are orange light filters that can help reduce screen time and therefore reduce migraines. You can also add a screen time tracker on your devices.
2. Lack of routine
In the office we have a routine and at home it should be no different. Regular routines are a blessing for people prone to migraines. After all, change can be a major migraine initiator. If you’re dealing with a lack of stability, consider a routine with staples like making tea, getting dressed in the morning, and scheduling coffee breaks to avoid having too many cups a day.
3. Work from the sofa
Not all of us can afford to have an office in our homes, but if you don’t have a suitable chair and table (ideally a desk), working from a sofa can trigger migraines, causing distractions and back pain. Back pain and migraines can go hand in hand, so try buying your own fancy ergonomic seat or borrowing one from the office until you save up. This can also lead to poor position or posture, which can cause tension and therefore migraines.
4. Lack of blinds
Too much light, even sunlight, can be harmful. Super bright spaces are not too good for people prone to migraines, since they tend to be photosensitive people. It is more convenient to invest in blinds or use dimmers on interior lights. Working in the dark can also have these negative effects, even if you find it comforting and are used to watching movies in that environment.
5. Getting distracted by housemates
Whether you live with roommates, children, or a romantic partner, being distracted from the people you live with can cause a lot of headaches. Often, family members or roommates don’t really respect the boundaries of working from home and simply assume that you will be around or that you will make a lot of noise, much worse than your coworkers munching salad. The same goes for children experiencing hybrid schooling.
6. Not taking breaks
Take more breaks – burnout when working from home is just as real! Simply looking away from that screen once in a while or doing a quick exercise can help prevent migraines from triggering. This mindset can also cause you to work 24 hours a day and neglect self-care, healthy eating, and sleep hygiene. All of these increase stress (as well as insomnia-induced migraine attacks), which are the main triggers of migraine.
How to Modify Your Settings to Stop Migraines in Their Tracks
Since you have control over many of the factors here, you can adjust the smells, sounds, and ambient light in your settings. Consider switching to warm light instead of cool lights, drinking tea all day, and surrounding your home with scents that are calming rather than triggering.
In an office environment, we often forget to be consistent with hydration and nutrition, but if you have the luxury of working from home, you can control these factors. You just have to be more aware of them. Set an alarm or reminder on your computer, if necessary.
You can buy LED bulbs with green light, which can reduce migraine symptoms.
If you are bothered by external factors such as noise, consider investing in noise-cancelling headphones, which can help you tune out external stimuli while you focus.
Get an anti-glare screen cover or set your computer to “Night Shift” if you have an Apple product. There are also anti-glare lenses and lenses that filter blue light, if you are a regular glasses wearer
