Migraine is a neurological disease. In about one in four, a slow wave across the brain's surface causes visual disturbances: aura.
What you see: A slow wave glides across the surface of the brain. Then we see through the eyes of a person with aura: a shimmering zigzag arc in the field of vision.
The pain can throb, and the brain often becomes extra sensitive to light and sound.
What you see: Light enters through the eye and sound through the ear, and the areas of the brain that receive them glow brighter.
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Sudden, extreme headache? Paralysis, confusion – or fever and a stiff neck? Call emergency services.
What you see: Three warning signs, one image each: sudden, extreme headache, paralysis and confusion, and fever with a stiff neck.
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Headaches are usually harmless.
What you see: The camera slowly pulls back from a blue brain.
02 · The myth
The brain itself feels no pain
Many believe
When your head hurts, it's your brain that hurts.
Why many believe it
The pain is felt inside the head, so it's easy to think it comes from the brain.
What is right
Brain tissue has no pain sensors. The pain comes from the membranes around the brain, blood vessels, nerves and muscles in the head and neck. Still, it is the brain that interprets the pain, and in migraine it becomes extra sensitive.
03 · What you can do
What you can do yourself
Regular sleep, regular meals and enough to drink can make headaches less frequent.
Physical activity and relaxation can help with tension headaches.
During a migraine attack, many people find it helps to rest in a dark, quiet room.
Over-the-counter painkillers can help. If you use them on more than half the days of the month, they can cause headaches themselves. Talk to your GP.
A headache diary can help you and your doctor spot patterns.
04 · See a doctor
Contact a doctor if …
You get a sudden, extreme headache – the worst you have ever had – call 113 in Norway or your local emergency number.
The headache comes with paralysis, a drooping mouth, trouble speaking or confusion – call 113 in Norway or your local emergency number.
You have a headache with fever and a stiff neck, or small red-purple spots that do not fade when you press a glass against the skin – call 113 in Norway or your local emergency number.
You get a headache after a blow to the head and get worse, vomit or become unusually tired – call the out-of-hours medical service (legevakt, 116 117 in Norway) or your local urgent care service.
You get a new headache that is different from before, or one that keeps getting worse – contact your GP (regular doctor).
The headache wakes you at night, or you have headaches on many days a month – contact your GP (regular doctor).
In children
Your child has a headache with fever and a stiff neck, or is limp and hard to get in contact with – call 113 in Norway or your local emergency number.
Your child has a headache that keeps getting worse, wakes them at night or comes with vomiting in the morning – contact your GP (regular doctor).
Your doctorfor everyday health problems and when it can wait
This is general advice. If you are unsure, contact an out-of-hours doctor.
05 · Simplified
Simplified medical illustration – not to scale
The film is made with AI and shows the body more simply than it is. This is what we simplified:
The skull, membranes and brain are shown as layers. They are not shown at their real thickness.
The band around the head shows how a tension headache feels, not what causes it.
The wave across the surface of the brain is the likely explanation for aura. It does not apply to all attacks, and most people with migraine do not have aura.
How the wave is linked to the pain is not known. That is why the pain nerves are shown in a separate image.
Signal molecules are shown as golden particles. In reality they are molecules far too small to see.
