Reading with a migraine? Text to speech can help!

Migraines that last for long periods of time or frequent migraines can make it difficult for individuals to focus. Rest your eyes. Try text-to-speech.

What is a migraine?

Migraines are headaches that typically cause throbbing pain in one part of the head. These headaches can last anywhere between a few hours to a few days. In addition to throbbing pain, migraines can cause other symptoms, such as increased sensitivity to noise or light, vomiting, and nausea. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), migraines affect more than 10 percent of people around the world.

For some people, mood changes, fatigue, light or noise sensitivity, or other symptoms start hours or days before throbbing head pain. In some cases, people experience changes to their vision or other senses before headache pain starts. Migraines can also cause lingering symptoms that last about a day after pain subsides, such as muscle pain, appetite changes, or fatigue.

While there is no cure for migraines, there are many ways to manage symptoms. Options such as text-to-speech (TTS) can allow you to enjoy your usual activities or handle everyday tasks while experiencing migraines or other headaches.

What causes a migraine?

The exact cause of migraines isn’t fully understood, although changes in the brain seem to be associated with these headaches. Certain situations or items can trigger migraines, such as hormonal changes, stress, caffeine, weather changes, loud noises or strong smells, physical activity, or sleep changes.

For some people, eating certain foods or skipping meals can trigger migraines. Certain medications can also trigger migraines in some individuals.

Having risk factors for migraines can increase your chance of having these headaches. Risk factors include being a woman, having a family history of migraines, and having certain medical conditions, such as sleep disorders or depression.

Age can also be a risk factor. For many people, migraines start when they’re between 10 and 40 years old.

Different types of migraines can occur, including the following:

1. Vestibular migraine: This type causes symptoms that make reading with a migraine difficult, such as balance problems and nausea.
2. Migraine with aura: This is a classic migraine that causes vision or other sensory changes before pain starts.
3. Migraine without aura: This is a common migraine that does not cause vision or sensory changes.
4. Silent migraine: This type causes aura symptoms, but does not cause head pain. 

June Is Migraine Awareness Month

During this month, organizations and individuals can focus on raising awareness of migraines. With so many people affected by these painful headaches, Migraine Awareness Month can make it easier to find information and resources on migraines. If you suffer from migraines or have a loved one who does, June is a good month to do your part in raising awareness.

You might post information on migraines, such as common signs and symptoms or types of treatment. Including hashtags, such as #migraineawarenessmonth, #migraines, or #headacheawareness, can help others find your posts more easily.

Migraine Awareness Month is also an ideal time to get a checkup if you suspect that you’ve been having migraines. Some people don’t realize that the symptoms they’ve been experiencing are migraines, especially with migraine types that do not cause throbbing pain. Seeking treatment can help you find relief or learn more about handling symptoms when they occur. You might also find tips on how to do normal activities, such as exercising, studying, or reading with a migraine.

How Long Do Migraines Usually Last?

Some migraines can last for a few hours, while others can last for a few days or more. More than half of people with migraines experience symptoms hours to days before throbbing pain begins. For those with aura, these symptoms typically last an hour or less. In some cases, symptoms can linger for roughly a day after pain goes away. The length of time migraines last can depend on different factors, such as severity.

While some people have migraines every so often, such as a couple of times per month, others have them more frequently. Occasional migraines are known as episodic migraines, while frequent migraines are known as chronic migraines. In some cases, people have high-frequency episodic migraines that occur up to 14 times a month. Chronic migraines occur more than 15 days a month, with eight or more of those causing moderate to severe pain, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to sound and light, or other symptoms.

How Can This Affect Productivity for Students, Parents, and Professionals?

Migraines that last for long periods of time or frequent migraines can make it difficult for individuals to focus on work, school, or family responsibilities. Students often experience trouble concentrating on doing assignments or studying for tests, especially when a lot of reading is involved. For those with severe migraines, reading can be impossible to do while symptoms last. These problems can affect academic performance and put students at risk of having lower grades.

Parents with migraines can have a difficult time juggling their responsibilities in the home and at work. Migraines can make it hard to focus on family or household responsibilities, especially in a home with a lot of noise from kids, pets, and other sources. Being able to do leisure activities, such as reading, can also be tough to do for parents who have migraines.

For professionals, having migraines can lead to problems handling work projects and other tasks, especially those that involve reading, making decisions, or concentrating. Working in an office or other work setting with bright lights or loud noises can significantly reduce productivity during migraines. Whether professionals have mild or severe migraines, being able to read or do other tasks at work might not be possible without relying on other solutions, such as TTS.

Especially with work from home becoming more common.

Studies Have Shown That Sound Can Soothe a Migraine

Studies on the use of certain noises for migraines, such as binaural beats or audio therapy, have found that sound can soothe migraine symptoms. Listening to certain frequencies or hearing the sound of a soothing voice can help ease stress, promote relaxation, and offer some relief from pain and other migraine symptoms. In fact, some individuals have found it easier to fall asleep while experiencing a migraine with the use of audiobooks or TTS.

How Can Text-to-Speech Help People with Migraines and Headaches Read?

TTS can offer an ideal solution for individuals who want or need to be able to read with migraines or headaches. With TTS, your eyes don’t have to stare at reading material. Instead, TTS allows you to listen articles, documents or other material being read out loud. Whether you’re a student who needs to read study materials, a professional who needs to read through research, or someone who wants to enjoy leisurely reading before bed or at other times, TTS can help.

Using this kind of technology allows you to hear reading material instead of having to look at it with your eyes for long periods of time, which helps reduce the risk of eyestrain. There’s really no difference between reading with your eyes or hearing text when it comes to understanding written material. Whether you’re reading for school, business, or pleasure, TTS makes this possible when you have a headache or migraine.

Always Speak to a Physician and Consider Seeking Medical Help

Before trying TTS or other solutions for migraines, it’s important to talk to your physician first. Your doctor can evaluate your headaches or migraine symptoms and help you come up with a treatment plan for relief. Seeking medical help might involve taking over-the-counter pain relievers or other medication as directed by your doctor. These medications might offer some relief from pain and other migraine symptoms. In some cases, doctors might recommend medications that help prevent migraines from occurring.

You can discuss other treatment options with your doctor to ease symptoms and help you enjoy your regular activities, such as avoiding migraine triggers if possible, staying hydrated, sticking to a sleep routine, and trying relaxation techniques, such as biofeedback. If you haven ’t been diagnosed with migraines, seeing your doctor or scheduling a neurovisual exam can help determine the cause of headaches while reading.

FAQ on Reading with a Migraine

Does Reading Affect Migraines?

Reading can affect migraines when you read at a close range. When you hold a book or screen close to your face to read, this leads to muscle strain over time. Think about how your muscles get sore after you do a workout. This is similar to what happens when you read at a close range for long periods of time.

Whether you’re trying to read a book or read on a tablet, computer, or phone screen, this kind of strain can end up triggering a headache or migraine. You might not experience this if you read at a close range infrequently, especially for short amounts of time. However, if school or work requires you to do a lot of reading, you can develop a habit of reading at close range for longer periods of time on a regular basis.

Can Reading Help a Headache?

What happens if you need to read while having a migraine or headache? Is there a way to do so? In addition to using TTS, there are some steps you can take in order to read with a migraine. Wearing a pair of computer glasses or reading glasses might offer some relief from migraine symptoms or stop them from getting worse as you read. If you’re nearsighted or farsighted and rely on glasses with corrective lenses, you should always wear ones with a more recent prescription rather than an older pair.

Wearing glasses with an older prescription could make your symptoms worse, since your eyes need to strain more in order to see properly. If you find that your symptoms continue or get worse while you try to read, rest your eyes from time to time. Closing your eyes for several minutes can help ease pain and other symptoms, so that you can read.

Does Reading Worsen Headaches?

Reading can make headaches or migraine symptoms worse due to the eyestrain it causes. Keep in mind that any activities that require you to use your eyes for long periods of time, such as sewing, driving, watching TV, or playing video games, can end up causing migraines or headaches. Relying on TTS for reading can give your eyes a much needed break and lower your risk of having headaches or migraines develop due to eyestrain.

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