A migraine is a neurological disorder that causes constant intense headaches. Certain people even experience hints of nausea, weakness, as well as sensitivity to any sounds and light.
How severe or frequent the migraines take place differs for everyone and can get worse as time progresses if nothing is done.
Today BlackDoctor.Org is here to answer your question: how many migraines is too many, and when should you seek help?
Episodic and Chronic Migraines
When it comes to migraines, they primarily consist of two categories of migraine: episodic and chronic.
You can differentiate them through the frequency and intensity of when they arise:
- Episodic migraines take place between one to 14 times every month.
- Chronic migraines occur 15 or more days a month throughout a cycle of three months.
Generally speaking, a chronic migraine is far worse and tougher to treat.
Episodic migraine affects more people, but it’s further broken down into two kinds. If you get hit with migraines under 10 times each month, you could have what’s referred to as low-frequency episodic migraine (LFEM).
This sort of episodic migraine impacts a greater percentage of people. If you get migraine attacks within the range of 10 to 14 times a month, your doctor may say that it’s a high-frequency episodic migraine (HFEM).
RELATED: What Can Blacks Do To Get An Accurate Migraine Diagnosis?
Knowing the Risk Factors
It’s normal to experience a migraine since it affects 12 percent of Americans. But a migraine is not to the same degree as your average bad headache. The immense throbbing pain can get in the way of everyday life. The World Health Organization has claimed it as the sixth most disabling condition around the globe.
Various risk factors raise your chances of getting frequent migraines. Women are three times more prone to face them than men. It’s also more of a normal occurrence among women between the ages of 15 and 55. Particular hormonal shifts may trigger migraines.
Other factors include:
- Family history of migraine — about 80 percent of people with migraine are closely related to someone with it
- Smoking
- High amounts of stress
Certain medical conditions can significantly skyrocket how frequent and intense your migraine attacks are. They include: