Migraine can affect every aspect of a person’s life, including relationships with friends, family and partners. Loneliness and isolation are common among people with migraine. Asked about the most negative part of living with their migraine, 48% answered: Being misunderstood by other people.
Migraine’s Impact On Social Life
It’s hard to be reliable when a migraine attack can wreck your plans at any moment. 78% of people with migraine say it has affected social activities, and 4 out of 5 people say they’ve cancelled plans due to migraine. In addition, studies of people with migraine have found:
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- 59% no longer participated in activities or hobbies they used to
- 52% had missed important events
- 50% had avoided making commitments
Migraine’s Impact On Relationships
Misunderstandings, cancelled plans and caregiving demands on partners can cause relationship strain. 20% of people with migraine said headaches had a negative effect on their romantic relationships, including:
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- 17% said their headaches had contributed to a breakup
- 49% said they’d be a better partner in their current relationship if not for headache. For people with chronic migraine, that number was 78%
- 49% said their sex life had been affected
Migraine’s Impact On Family Life
In a study of children living with a parent with migraine, 27% of kids said that due to migraine, at least once a month, they couldn’t get parental help when they needed it (50% for a parent with chronic migraine), and 22.6% said their parent had missed a family outing (46% for chronic migraine).
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- 43% of people with migraine think they’d be better parents without migraine
- 3.2% of people in a relationship and living together chose not to have children, delayed having children or had fewer children due to migraine. For people with chronic migraine that number was 9.5%
Migraine takes a toll. But you can take steps to regain control. Get the tools you need to live better with migraine in the Ctrl M Health app.