Of Migraines and Sensory Overload

Living with both migraines and sensory overload feels like I’m navigating a minefield – especially when they start to intersect and affect how I communicate and process the world around me. Recently, I’ve been taking time to track patterns and explore strategies to understand and manage these challenges better. It’s been an eye-opening process, and I thought sharing my experiences might resonate with others who are dealing with similar struggles.

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Two Conditions, Two Sets of Challenges

For me, migraines and sensory overload manifest differently but can overlap in frustrating ways. Migraines tend to come in episodes, with physical symptoms like headaches, nausea, and heightened sensitivity to light and sound. There’s often a fogginess that makes it hard to think clearly, let alone communicate.

On the other hand, sensory overload – something I experience as part of my ASD – tends to feel more persistent, and tied to specific environmental triggers. Loud noises, overlapping conversations, or chaotic environments can leave me overwhelmed and desperate for quiet.

One example that stands out is how difficult I’ve found group conversations lately. In one work meeting, I became so frustrated by overlapping voices that I told everyone to “shut up” – something I wouldn’t normally do! It’s hard to figure out when to speak when everything feels like a jumble in my head. Similarly, intense conversations with my husband about our relationship often leave my brain feeling foggy and overloaded.

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Tracking Patterns and Triggers

Recently, I’ve started paying closer attention to when these episodes occur and what might be triggering them. It’s been helpful to distinguish between the patterns of migraines and sensory overload:

• Migraines seem to come with physical triggers like stress, poor sleep, or hormonal changes (I had a spate of them when I was without testosterone). While I haven’t noticed clear prodrome symptoms, I’ve become more aware of how light sensitivity and noise seem to worsen when a migraine is brewing.
• Sensory Overload, meanwhile, is more tied to auditory chaos – like the TV on loud, radios, or overlapping conversations. I suspect that my husband’s hearing isn’t as good as mine because he can have the TV on at an uncomfortable volume. Even environments that I could handle in the past, like group meetings, now feel overwhelming.

I have just started using Migraine Buddy app to track patterns more systematically, so we shall have to see how well this helps in identifying and managing triggers.

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A couple of recent experiences

The day after the bad meal (an anxiety migraine)

After the rotten night on Friday, I slept poorly and I slept in late. I was therefore dehydrated and anxious. My busy head whirled around all night thinking about the conversation. The next day was a crippling headache, which resulted in me going to bed for a few hours.

Sensory induced migraines (meetings migraine)

Today was the usual round of online Teams meetings in the office. I am sure they weren’t all talking over each other, but that’s what it felt like. I could tell the stress of trying to follow the conversations building.

Lunchtime I was beat: I could feel a headache coming on as my vision seemed less sharp (the technical term for the warning signs of migraine are prodrome). I took a Sumotriptan and got away from the screen for a while.

The afternoon was quieter, with only two meetings, however my postdrome (that’s the technical term for migraine hangover … oh yeah, you get a shitty migraine, and then you get a hangover from it) left me fatigued.

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Coping Strategies: Experimenting and Adapting

Managing both migraines and sensory overload has required a mix of strategies:

• For migraines, I rely on medications like sumatriptan or co-codamol at the first sign of trouble. I’ve also cut out caffeine and refined sugar, which seems to help. When a migraine does hit, retreating to a dark, silent room is non-negotiable.
• For sensory overload, I’ve started using captions during online meetings to reduce the cognitive load of processing speech. However, I can’t rely on captions alone – they’re often inaccurate, especially with regional accents – so I still listen to the audio, which is where the problems stem from. I suspect that the apps used to create the captions are trained on mid-Atlantic or Received Pronunciation and really don’t cope with UK regional accents – of which there are a great many! Noise-cancelling headphones and avoiding chaotic environments have also been helpful while I am in town; I need to get myself a pair for work.

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Lessons Learned

One of the biggest takeaways from this process has been the importance of self-awareness. Tracking my symptoms and triggers has helped me feel more in control, even on days when my brain feels foggy or overwhelmed. I’ve also realized that different environments and situations require different strategies -what works for a migraine may not work for sensory overload, and vice versa.

At the same time, this journey has reminded me that it’s okay to step back and give myself the space I need. Whether it’s retreating to a quiet room or taking a moment to breathe, I’ve found that small adjustments can make a big difference.

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A Work in Progress

I’m still figuring out how to balance everything, but I’m hopeful that with continued experimentation, I’ll find ways to make these challenges more manageable. If you’re dealing with similar struggles, I’d love to hear what’s worked for you. Let’s share what we learn and support each other along the way.