Cephala App Icon
Cephala Migraine Journal
Low-Sensory iOS Migraine Journal & Headache Tracker

Log your migraine in
5 seconds.

No complicated surveys when you have an attack. Record your pain and medication with one tap, let the screen go dark and rest.

Free to Download No Account Required 100% Private On-Device
Cephala iOS App: 5-Second Quick Log Sheet Cephala iOS App: Today Dashboard Cephala iOS App: Insights and Frequency Chart Cephala iOS App: MOH Safety Meter and History Calendar
Sensory Simplicity

No homework when you're in pain.

Traditional trackers ask 20 questions while you're dealing with nausea and light sensitivity. Cephala is simple: log what matters in seconds, turn the screen off and rest.

01s

1-Tap Attack Entry

Launch directly from your Lock Screen widget, Action Button or hands-free with Siri.

02s

Tactile 1 to 10 Severity

Tap a number from 1 to 10. Subtle haptics confirm your selection without eye strain.

03s

Pinned Medication

Select your acute medication from your pinned favorites with a single tap.

04s

Screen Off and Rest

Tap Save. Your entry is saved privately on your phone and you can close your eyes.

Omitted By Design

Why Cephala has no "End Attack" duration timer

When you take acute medication, you sleep or lie in a dark room. Waking up hours later only to find your tracker running a 14-hour clock causes stress and pollutes your records. Doctors focus strictly on attack days and acute medication days, not artificial timers.

No Timer Guilt Log or edit whenever you feel better
Thoughtful Design

Built for comfort, not clutter.

Every detail in Cephala was built to minimize screen glare and cognitive strain during an attack.

Sensory Comfort

Pitch-Black Mode and 1-Tap Dim Shield

Most people with migraine suffer from light sensitivity. Cephala switches to pure #000000 OLED black where pixels shut off completely to eliminate backlight bleed. A dedicated dim button drops screen brightness by 65% instantly.

Zero Backlight Bleed Soft Slate Typography Zero Jarring Animations
Clinical Safety

Medication Overuse Warning (MOH)

Taking acute painkillers on 10+ days per month can trigger chronic rebound headaches. Cephala automatically monitors your monthly medication days against clinical neurological thresholds.

Monthly Acute Limit Safe Range
Complete Privacy

No Accounts.
100% Private On-Device.

Your neurological health is private. Cephala has no servers, requires no sign-up or email address and connects to no data brokers. Everything stays safely and privately on your iPhone.

Stored Privately on Your iPhone
No Cloud Tracking or Data Sales
Atmospheric Sensors

Real-Time Barometric Pressure Shift Alerts

Barometric swings are one of the most common migraine triggers. Cephala reads atmospheric pressure right from your iPhone's built-in barometer with every attack and sends notifications when rapid drops occur.

Built-in Barometer Pressure Drop Notifications
iOS Native

Lock Screen Widget & Siri Voice Log

Log without unlocking your phone. Tap the Lock Screen widget or speak hands-free when severe photophobia makes looking at a screen impossible.

"Hey Siri, log migraine in Cephala"
Pain Localization

Visual Anatomical Head Mapping

Record pain locations across temples, behind the eyes or neck strain with a simple front and back head map.

Forehead & Temples Behind Eyes Neck & Occipital Left / Right Side
Doctor-Ready Reports

Neurologists don't have time to read 30-page logs.

Most headache tracking apps export dozens of pages filled with confusing graphs that busy doctors glance over for a few seconds before asking: "How many headache days did you have this month and how many days did you take acute medication?"

Cephala creates a concise 1-page summary report that you can easily share directly with your neurologist via Messages, AirDrop, email or print.

Monthly Attack Frequency (Headache Days)

Clearly shows your monthly headache days so your doctor can determine if you qualify for preventive therapies.

Acute Medication Days (MOH Safety)

Tracks acute treatment days against the 10-day safety limit to help avoid rebound headaches.

Pain Severity & Medication Efficacy

Clear response scorecards showing whether prescribed abortive drugs delivered meaningful pain relief (VAS drops) within 2 hours.

Hormonal / Menstrual Cycle Correlation

Pinpoints menstrual migraine patterns (days -2 to +3) to guide targeted perimenstrual mini-prophylaxis regimens.

C
Cephala Clinical Summary
Neurology Consultation Export
SHAREABLE REPORT
Attack Days 4 Episodic Range
Med Days 3 Safe (<10d MOH)
Avg Pain 7.2 VAS Scale (1-10)
Medication Response Scorecard
Medication Dose Days Efficacy
Eletriptan (Relpax) 40mg 2 Days 83% Relief
Dexketoprofen 25mg 1 Day 60% Relief
Generated securely on your device cephala.app
Clear Perspective

How Cephala Compares

See why migraineurs are choosing Cephala's fast, private, low-sensory approach over complex, cloud-dependent tracking apps.

Core Experience
Cephala Modern
Other Migraine Apps Generic Notes / Apps
Attack Logging Speed Friction during severe acute pain ⚡ Under 5 Seconds 1-tap intensity & medication 2 to 5 minutes (15 to 25 questions) Variable manual typing
Mandatory "End Attack" Clock Remembering to clock out post-attack ✓ Omitted by Design Zero guilt; doctors focus on days ✕ Required (Causes inaccurate logs) Manual notes
Photophobia & Light Sensitivity Screen impact on migraine nausea ✓ Low-Sensory OLED Mode + 65% 1-tap Photophobia Dim Shield Bright standard UI & animations Standard OS dark mode
Health Data Privacy & Accounts Where your neurological data lives ✓ 100% On-Device Storage No accounts needed, no cloud servers ✕ Cloud server; mandatory email Local notes or iCloud
Doctor Consultation Report Format for neurology appointments ✓ Clean, Shareable 1-Page Report Easy to share or print for your visit 20 to 30 page reports None or raw text
MOH Rebound Headache Warning Acute medication threshold monitoring ✓ Automated Safety Counter Alerts before 10-day rebound limit Passive pill log only ✕ Not available
Barometric Pressure Tracking Detecting atmospheric weather drops ✓ Built-in Barometer Real-time pressure drop notifications Weather API fetch ✕ Not available
Clinical Transparency & Safety

Grounded in Neurological Consensus

Cephala is designed around the reporting requirements of headache specialists and neurologists, following published standards from the International Headache Society (IHS).

ICHD-3 Protocol

Medication Overuse Headaches

Monitors acute treatment days against the 10-day monthly threshold defined in the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd Edition to prevent chronic medication rebound.

VAS Standardization

Visual Analog Scale (1 to 10)

Standardized 10-point pain severity metrics align with peer-reviewed neurology diagnostic protocols, providing meaningful before-and-after relief data for prescribed triptans and CGRPs.

App Store Guideline 1.4

Ethical Symptom Journaling

Strict non-diagnostic boundaries. Cephala does not market unverified medical cures, algorithm-driven diagnoses or clinical claims.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions

Quick answers about privacy, doctor reports and low-sensory tracking.

What makes Cephala different from other migraine apps?
Cephala is built specifically for use during an active attack. While traditional apps force you through 15 to 25 complex questions during nausea and light sensitivity, Cephala logs your pain severity and medication in seconds, immediately dims the screen and requires no post-attack clock-out. Plus, your data stays 100% private on your iPhone with no accounts required.
Does Cephala store data in the cloud or sell it to third parties?
No. Cephala operates with a strict zero-cloud architecture and requires no account. All attack logs, medication history and notes are stored exclusively on your iPhone in an encrypted sandbox. We operate no external user databases and have zero access to your private health records.
Why is there no mandatory 'End Attack' timer?
Requiring patients to remember to end an attack hours later causes stress, anxiety and inaccurate data (such as leaving timers running overnight). Headache specialists evaluate migraine based on monthly headache days and acute medication days, not subjective duration down to the minute.
Can I share my migraine log with my doctor?
Yes. Cephala generates a clean, 1-Page Doctor Report that you can easily share or print directly from your phone. It summarizes total attack days, acute medication frequency, average pain severity and medication efficacy so your neurologist can evaluate your condition in minutes.
What is the Medication Overuse Headache (MOH) warning?
Under clinical guidelines (ICHD-3), taking acute pain relievers or triptans on 10 or more days per month can trigger chronic rebound headaches. Cephala includes a built-in MOH safety meter that counts your monthly medication days and alerts you before reaching high-risk thresholds.
Is Cephala free or does it require a subscription?
Cephala provides essential daily tracking completely free (unlimited 5-second attack logging, monthly calendar and basic medication tracking). An optional Pro upgrade is available with weekly, annual or lifetime options to unlock unlimited doctor reports, the MOH safety meter and barometric alerts.

Have another question? Reach us anytime at hello@cephala.app

Available on iOS 17+

A calmer way to track your migraines.

No accounts, no surveys during an attack and no cloud tracking. Just a quiet screen and clear doctor reports.

Requires iOS 17.0 or later. Built for iPhone.