Aly Raisman and Serena Williams open up about overcoming migraine attacks and how it's affected their performance
- Aly Raisman thought her headaches while competing were because of her tight hair bun.
- Serena Williams said she couldn't stop mid-tennis match if she had a migraine.
Aly Raisman remembers coming home from school and finding her mother in bed with all the lights off, surrounded by darkness as she experienced migraines. But despite also experiencing nausea, light and scalp sensitivity, and fatigue, the three-time Olympic gold medalist never associated her own symptoms with the neurological condition.
Like many elite athletes, the gymnast ignored the pain during training and competition.
"I almost felt like I would get a pat on the back if I didn't say anything, and I just powered through and pushed through," Raisman told Insider. "It was so normalized for me to have a headache at the end of my competition. Now I know it's a migraine, but I used to think it was just a hair headache. I would wear my hair in a really tight bun, and I knew that I was going to feel sick after. I didn't know that wasn't normal."
Serena Williams can relate. The 23-time Grand Slam champion often complained to her mom about her headaches, but it wasn't until her 20s that she realized she was having migraines.
"I would even have to stop training because of my migraine attacks," Williams told Insider via email. "Aside from the head pain, my eyes get very sensitive to light, which is my No. 1 symptom and how I know I have a migraine. It makes it hard for me to function."
Williams, who's considered one of the all-time greatest tennis players, is also an entrepreneur and mom. She and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, have a 4-year-old daughter, Olympia. The 40-year-old relishes quality time with her little girl and wants to be in the best possible shape to tackle their activity-filled days.
"When I wake up in the morning, the last thing I need is a debilitating migraine attack, especially when Olympia has a full day of fun planned for me," Williams said.
Migraines affect more women than men
A migraine is a neurological condition that affects nerve pathways and brain chemicals. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, mood and vision changes, increased sensitivity to light and sound, and confusion. Women are three times more likely to have migraines than men. Genetics also play a role.
The star athletes both take medication for the condition and have found comfort in being able to lean on each other. They recently sat down for a video interview with Ubrelvy, a medication brand they've partnered with to raise awareness around migraines, to discuss their shared experiences as world-class athletes living with migraines.
"There are times when I've been on the court, literally in the middle of a Grand Slam, and I have a migraine," Williams said in the interview. "And it's not an opportunity where I can stop and just say, 'I need 10 minutes, or I need an hour, or let me play tomorrow.'"
Raisman said: "I think that anytime I feel I can relate to somebody about what I'm experiencing, it always feels really validating. So being able to feel validated by Serena is very cool."
They've received support after making their diagnosis public
Williams hopes talking about her migraines encourages others to "speak up and advocate for themselves." Raisman said she'd received many messages from people experiencing migraines but were embarrassed to talk about it.
"They feel like it makes them weak, or they feel like people won't believe them. So it's been very eye-opening to see how much of a stigma there is around migraine," she said. "I hope that the more that we talk about it, the more people have the courage to share their own journey, or even just ask questions and talk to a doctor about it, because migraine is very serious, very painful, very uncomfortable, and it really impacts people's lives."