A Dark Room and Other Ways to Migraine-Proof Your Space

I know it’s there. Like a Jedi Master strong with The Force, I can feel it even with my eyes closed—that sliver of sunlight. It’s shining through a slit in the curtains, and it’s strong with the Dark Side. It feels like a lightsaber boring a hole into my already pan-fried brain. If only I could use The Force to close the curtains here from my bed, but my migraine is blocking my energy flow. I’ll have to summon the strength to get up, cross the room, and shut the blinds myself.

Creating a migraine friendly dark room

After years of dealing with migraines, I know exactly how my room needs to be to function in order to survive my head pain and provide a little relief. A dark room is just one component of a successful migraine hide-out. Here are three more tips for migraine-proofing your room.

Blackout curtains

On a normal day, a bit of glimmering light wouldn’t be a big deal, but on my migraine days, it’s my nemesis. It wields suffering that immediately makes my head pain shoot up to emergency room levels. This is why I’ve invested in blackout curtains for my bedroom. Blackout curtains provide serious room darkening and can also help you sleep deeper at night. They don’t harm sleeping habits and can even be bought on Amazon. In my bedroom, it’s dark enough that any vampire would feel safe joining me for a nap and a cuddle during the daytime. Finding powerful curtains that shield my eyes from the sunlight has been a useful coping tool during an attack — unless I forget to close them properly.

Proper room temperature

Since my entire body (including my eyelids) becomes overly sensitive, I’ve learned to keep my room set at a temperature that soothes my migraines. Being too hot keeps my pain levels on the rise, so while I’m in the throes of an attack, my room is set to a mild winter-like temperature. My husband has never actually said it, but walking into our bedroom while I’m down-and-out probably feels a lot like walking into our refrigerator when the lightbulb burns out.

Silence

The third part of my strategy is making sure my room stays quiet. Talking, loud noises, or the sound of my own eyes blinking can send my brain exploding in my noggin’. This is why I keep my bedroom door closed and use earplugs if truly necessary. My family is kind enough to know to keep the karaoke competitions down to minimum volume until I can join in the singing.

Creating a safe space

Migraines have always felt like the Dark Side of The Force has taken over my brain. It's reassuring knowing that my bedroom can be quickly set up in such a way that supports me on my down days. This helps me eventually return to the Good Side so that The Force will be strong with me once more.

“The Force with you, always."