Does every migraine have all four stages?

No. The four stages — prodrome, aura, headache and postdrome — are a framework, not a fixed sequence everyone follows. Many people never experience aura, and any phase can be brief, absent or blurred into the next. Attacks also differ from one to the next.

How long do the migraine phases last?

The prodrome can start hours to a couple of days ahead; aura usually lasts 5–60 minutes; the headache itself can run 4–72 hours untreated; and the postdrome can linger for up to a day or so. Tracking your own attacks shows your typical timing.

What are the four stages of a migraine?

A migraine attack can move through up to four stages: prodrome (warning signs), aura, the headache itself, and postdrome (the after-effects). Not everyone experiences all four — many people never have aura, for example — and the stages can overlap or vary from attack to attack.

Prodrome and aura

The prodrome, or premonitory phase, can begin hours or even a day or two before the headache. Common signs include yawning, food cravings, mood changes, neck stiffness, fatigue and increased thirst — subtle enough that many people only recognise them in hindsight. Aura, which affects roughly a quarter to a third of people with migraine, is a set of temporary neurological symptoms that usually last 5–60 minutes: most often visual (zigzag lines, blind spots, flickering), sometimes sensory tingling or difficulty with speech. Aura typically comes just before or at the start of the headache.

Headache and postdrome

The headache phase is the part most people picture: often throbbing pain, frequently (though not always) on one side, commonly with nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Untreated, it can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours. The postdrome — sometimes called the migraine 'hangover' — follows the pain and can leave you feeling drained, foggy, or unusually tender for a day or so. It's a real part of the attack, not just tiredness, and it's often underestimated.

Why recognising the phases helps

Knowing the phases can help you make sense of your own attacks and describe them accurately to a clinician — which symptoms come first, how long each part lasts, and how the whole thing plays out. Recording that over several attacks shows your personal shape, which is more useful than any single memory. Temple lets you log the phases and their timing; it documents your pattern and doesn't diagnose or predict attacks. Temple is a tracking tool, not medical advice — for anything specific to you, consult a healthcare professional.

Temple lets you note prodrome signs, aura, headache and postdrome for each attack, so your personal migraine shape becomes clear over time.

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Common questions

Does every migraine have all four stages?: No. The four stages — prodrome, aura, headache and postdrome — are a framework, not a fixed sequence everyone follows. Many people never experience aura, and any phase can be brief, absent or blurred into the next. Attacks also differ from one to the next.
How long do the migraine phases last?: The prodrome can start hours to a couple of days ahead; aura usually lasts 5–60 minutes; the headache itself can run 4–72 hours untreated; and the postdrome can linger for up to a day or so. Tracking your own attacks shows your typical timing.