What is migraine aura?

Migraine auras are known as the warning signs. Auras can feel like visual problems. You might see spots, zig zags, flashing lights or a sensation of tingling and numbness. You might feel dizzy or a numbness or tingling sensation like pins and needles, or have trouble speaking.  Symptoms of an aura can last up to an hour.  Some don’t even experience a headache or only feel a mild headache after the aura.

Migraine symptoms come on in stages

Some migraines develop in 4 stages. These stages can vary from person to person, but tend to follow a similar pattern with distinct stages. Not all patients get all four stages.

Stage 1
In the pre-headache stage, you may experience a change in mood, appetite, behaviour or energy levels. You may also yawn and be sensitive to light, smells and noise. Prodromal symptoms can be felt hours or even days before a migraine strikes, which is why it’s sometimes mistaken as the trigger of a migraine.

Stage 2
The second stage is typically migraine aura. You might see flashing zig-zag lights or spots, have speech difficulties, memory loss, numbness or dizziness. You may experience one or more aura symptoms, but this differs from person to person. Each symptom generally only lasts up to an hour. Visual aura often starts out small, a-symmetrically in your vision and can expand to affect half or even all of your vision.

Stage 3

Pain or pressure can be felt as a pulsing or throbbing in the head or neck. This pain can affect one or both sides of your head or your neck. Migraines can feel like sinusitis when it affects the face. If there’s no headache in this stage, it can be difficult to identify as a migraine.

Stage 4

Recovery can take a day or two and may leave you feeling unwell, tired and unable to concentrate.

The difference between an ordinary headache and a migraine

A tension headache is the most common type of headache and may feel like a constant ache on both sides of the head. Tension headaches generally aren’t severe enough to stop you from doing everyday things. On the other hand, a migraine is less common and may feel like a severe, throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head, sometimes with nausea, vomiting, dizziness or sensitivity to light or sound. Migraines can stop you from doing your normal daily activities. Headache causes and migraine triggers can be similar, such as irregular eating or stress. However, the underlying cause of migraines is not known.

Migraine Myths

You may believe a headache or other symptoms are not a migraine, but here are some facts to help you demystify the myths:

  • MYTH: “It’s not a migraine because no-one in my family gets them.”
    FACT: Migraines can be genetic (usually inherited from family members). If you’ve got all the symptoms but don’t know of anyone in your family having migraines, it’s possible that someone in your family has had migraines but thought they were ordinary headaches.
  • MYTH: “It’s a headache because it’s not only on one side and it’s different every time.”
    FACT: Migraines can occur on one side of the head, or all over the head. It varies from person to person.
  • MYTH: “I don’t have nausea or vomiting so it’s not a migraine.”
    FACT: Not every person who experiences a migraine feels nauseous or vomits.
  • MYTH: “I don’t need to sleep when I feel symptoms.”
    FACT: Migraines affect everyone differently. Some people have symptoms that allow them to carry on with life whilst others feel they need to lie down in a darkened room or to sleep.
  • MYTH: “Children can’t get migraines.”
    FACT: Children as young as three can have migraines. They may feel symptoms such as a tummy ache rather than a headache.
  • MYTH: “I’m an adult and I've never had a migraine before, it’s just a bad headache.”
    FACT: Migraines can appear later in life, for example as a result of changing hormones caused by the contraceptive pill, menopause or after childbirth.
  • MYTH: “Migraines always come with a headache.”
    FACT: Aura can sometimes be present without the pain of a headache. This is still classed as a migraine.

Knowing the facts can help you to manage your migraines, as well as treat them as best as possible.

Migraines should be treated as early as possible. Pain relievers containing ibuprofen, such as Nurofen Migraine Pain is a good option to help relieve your migraine headache for up to 8 hours. Contact your doctor if you have any questions or are concerned about your migraine headache symptoms.

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