Khloe Kardashian's Debilitating Migraines Explained

American reality television star, Khloé Kardashian, perhaps best-known from the Kardashian family hit series "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," recently vented on Twitter about her ongoing struggle with migraines. "I wish people understood how debilitating migraines can be," the 37-year-old media personality lamented. "I get so frustrated when people tell me to push through and it's just a bad headache. If only they knew!!" She went on to describe the pain as "torturous and indescribable."

Many fans replied to Kardashian's tweet showing their support. "I'm so sorry to hear it ... people tend to diminish other's experiences," said one fan, adding that "they forget that we are all different people with different feelings and experiences." Another fan chimed in relating to Kardashian's migraine pain, saying, "They are debilitating. And those fortunate enough not to get them will never understand. Hope it passes soon, Khloe. I feel you."

Kardashian opened up further, describing how bad she feels when the migraines come between her and her daughter. "She's only three years old and so she doesn't understand that I genuinely cannot lift my head up when I experienced one,” Kardashian said, adding, "Most adults don't understand" (via Twitter).

Kardashian has struggled with migraines since the sixth grade, telling Shape in September 2020, "It's horrible, and you're in all this pain. But the second day, you're just in a fog. It's so hard to function."

According to experts at the Cleveland Clinic, a migraine is a neurological disease that is far more debilitating than the common headache. If you are one of the 12% of Americans who suffer from migraines — which can last anywhere from several hours to multiple days — even the smallest amount of movement, light, or sound can set off a wave of symptoms. These symptoms can include throbbing pain on one side of your head, nausea, temporary loss of vision, and irritability, among other severe discomforts.

Some migraines are accompanied by auras, a collection of sensory, speech, and motor symptoms indicating that a migraine is approaching. Oftentimes mistaken for seizures or strokes, between 15 to 20% of migraine sufferers experience auras, which can also occur during and after a migraine. Examples of auras include seeing bright flashing lights, changes in smell or taste, ringing in the ears, among others.

Migraines cannot be cured but, according to the Cleveland Clinic, they can be managed with medication or lifestyle changes such as getting proper amounts of sleep, staying well-hydrated, and easing stress through practices like yoga and meditation.

After years of suffering from migraines, Kardashian told Shape that she is better at picking up cues when one is coming on. If she can't find a dark quiet room to escape to, she makes whatever adjustments she can. "I try to make sure that I'm not in bright-light environments, but if I'm working and I'm on camera, you'll see sometimes I film wearing sunglasses, [even when] we're inside," she told Shape. "That's not because it's a fashion statement. It's because I genuinely am trying to have a barrier and diminish the light sensitivity that I'm experiencing."