An aura is a set of symptoms that can come before, or sometimes during, a migraine. Around one in three people with migraine experience aura. If you have never had one, this article will explain what it is. If you do get them, you will recognise much of what follows.
What an aura feels like
An aura is something happening in the brain, but it shows up in the senses. The most common kind is visual, but aura can also affect speech, sensation, or movement. It usually lasts between 5 minutes and an hour, and it usually appears before the headache starts.
Auras tend to build up slowly over a few minutes, rather than appearing all at once. They also tend to fade gradually.
Visual aura
This is the most common kind. People describe it in different ways:
- Zig-zag lines that shimmer or flicker, often in an arc.
- Bright spots or stars in the field of vision.
- Blind spots, sometimes called a scotoma. A small patch of vision that is missing or grey.
- Wavy lines, like looking through a heat haze.
- Tunnel vision or a sense that part of the room has gone dark.
These usually happen in both eyes, even though it can feel like only one. Covering one eye does not usually make them go away.
Sensory aura
Some people get tingling or numbness, often starting in the fingers of one hand and slowly spreading up the arm and to the face. It usually moves over 10 to 30 minutes.
Language aura
Some people find it hard to find the right words, or to follow what someone is saying. This can be alarming, especially the first time. It usually passes within an hour.
Motor aura (rare)
A small number of people experience temporary weakness on one side of the body. This is called hemiplegic migraine and is rare.
Why does aura happen?
Researchers believe aura is caused by a wave of unusual electrical activity that slowly moves across the surface of the brain. As the wave moves over different areas, it briefly disturbs them. This is why visual aura often spreads, and why the symptoms slowly shift over the minutes they last.
The wave passes, and the symptoms fade. The headache often follows because the same processes that caused the aura also irritate pain-sensitive parts of the brain.
Migraine without aura
Most people with migraine do not get aura. Migraine without aura is sometimes called common migraine, and migraine with aura is sometimes called classical migraine. You can have one type, the other, or sometimes both at different times.
Logging an aura in MigraineMe
If you do get aura, you can log it properly, not just as a note.
- When you log a migraine, tap Aura in the symptom list.
- A small sheet opens where you can mark where in your vision the aura appeared and how long it lasted.
- Carry on through the wizard and tap Save Log at the end.
You can also add an aura to a migraine you have already saved: open the Journal tab, find the migraine, and use its Aura quick-add.
Over time, you may notice patterns in when aura happens and what kind it is.
In short
Aura is a temporary disturbance in the brain that comes before or with a migraine. Visual auras are the most common. They usually last under an hour.
This is general information only.
