An aura is the warning stage before a migraine headache. Here are the six signs it is starting, and what to do in the first fifteen minutes.
A migraine aura is a set of sensory warnings that turn up before the headache, usually 30 to 60 minutes ahead of the pain. Only about 30 percent of people with migraine get one.
The cause is electrical. Cleveland Clinic describes a wave of disrupted electrical activity that moves across the brain. Doctors call it cortical spreading depression. The wave interrupts normal function, and the symptoms follow.
Below are the six signs an aura is starting. Then what to do in the first fifteen minutes, and the three symptoms that mean call someone rather than wait. None of it needs a scan to follow.
Six signs an aura is starting before the headache does
Auras come on gradually, which is what makes them useful. There is time to act.
Cleveland Clinic groups them into visual, sensorimotor and dysphasic types (Cleveland Clinic, 2026). Here are six ways they show up.
- Dots, sparks or zigzags in your vision. Cleveland Clinic lists these as the classic visual aura. Mayo Clinic adds shimmering spots, stars and flashes of light to the same picture.
- Blind spots that affect both eyes. Mayo Clinic says aura vision changes affect both eyes. Harvard Health describes unusual light patterns or distorted vision in both eyes, often in just half of each eye's field of vision.
- Tingling in one hand or one side of the face. Mayo Clinic says aura can cause tingling in your hand or face. Cleveland Clinic files this under sensorimotor aura, along with numbness and weakness in the limbs.
- Trouble speaking clearly. Cleveland Clinic calls this dysphasic aura and describes verbal and language changes like mumbling or slurred speech. It is the less common type.
- Ringing in the ears or dizziness. Cleveland Clinic names tinnitus and dizziness among the sensory disturbances that count as aura. They do not have to arrive with a visual symptom.
- Muscle weakness. Mayo Clinic says some people who have migraine with aura also experience muscle weakness or issues with speech and language. This is the sign that needs the most care, for reasons two sections down.
Symptoms come on gradually rather than all at once. That is the practical difference between an aura and an emergency.
What to do in the first fifteen minutes of an aura
The aura is a head start, and Cleveland Clinic treats it as one.
It says to stop what you are doing as soon as you notice one. Find a dark, quiet room and rest. It also says to take a dose of approved medication within the first 15 minutes.
Harvard Health gives the same advice in plainer words: rest and avoid visual stimulation, which makes things worse (Harvard Health, 2025).
Which one belongs in that window is a talk to have with your provider. Cleveland Clinic lists pain relievers, triptans, antinausea drugs and magnesium.
Only about 30% of people with migraines experience auras.
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⬇ Download your plan (PDF)The three symptoms that mean call rather than lie down
An aura is not dangerous in itself. The problem is that it can look like something that is.
Cleveland Clinic says an aura can mimic other serious conditions, like a stroke. It names three things to watch for. Confusion, a loss of consciousness, or weakness on one side of your body.
Mayo Clinic makes the same point from the other side. It says your care team will need to rule out a stroke first (Mayo Clinic, 2026).
It also says people who have migraine with aura are at a mildly increased risk of stroke. That is a reason to have the conversation, not a reason to panic.
Three things people get wrong about migraine aura
Three beliefs about aura are common and none of them holds up.
Every migraine starts with an aura. It does not. Cleveland Clinic says only about 30% of people with migraines experience auras, and that an aura does not happen during every migraine episode.
An aura is always visual. Not always. Cleveland Clinic names tinnitus, dizziness and trouble speaking among aura symptoms, and Mayo Clinic adds tingling and muscle weakness. Visual aura is the most common type, not the only one.
Aura and migraine need different treatment. Mayo Clinic says treatments for migraine with aura and migraine without aura usually are the same, including medicines to prevent attacks and medicines to stop a headache once it has started.
To your health,
Ageless Coach
Age Strong. Live Long.
This article is education, not medical advice. Cleveland Clinic says to seek medical care if you think something suspicious is going on. Ageless Coach is an affiliate partner and may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this page.