This will be a valuable resource for you and your doctor to start identifying more specific migraine triggers. Although any type of alcohol can trigger a migraine, people who experience regular migraine attacks cite red wine as the most frequent culprit. Neurologist and headache expert Dr. Belinda Savage-Edwards explains that migraine attacks can occur with little alcohol. “The most common alcohol that triggers a migraine attack is red wine, followed by white wine, champagne and beer,” she says. Like food triggers, the likelihood of a particular type of alcohol triggering a headache is probably different from person to person.
People who find that alcohol (often in any amount) triggers their migraines might limit their alcohol consumption or take note of when their alcohol intake prompts a headache. They should talk to a medical provider about these triggers in order to minimize their headaches. In addition to red wine, other alcoholic beverages, including beer, white wine, and liqueur, have also been reported as headache triggers. Or you might be fine until after your blood alcohol level returns to normal. This type of headache can happen to anyone, but people with migraines are more likely to get one. It can happen even if you drink less than people who don’t get migraine headaches.
- Before, during and after drinking alcohol, ensure you hydrate with plenty of water.
- Additionally, keeping a diary to track your triggers and being mindful of other factors like stress and sleep can be helpful.
- A total of 32,911 complete cases including 4679 migraine attacks were analyzed.
- Stress from work, personal issues, diet, toxins, physical stress, chemical or emotional stress can all have negative impacts on oxidative stress, energy levels and even inflammation.
- Things like stress, lack of sleep (too much sleep as well), hormones and weather can play a huge part of triggering an attack.
Nonalcoholic beverages with little to no added sugar are the best drinks for migraine. These include water, electrolyte drinks, bone broth, and diluted fruit juices. Whether or not alcohol is a common migraine headache trigger is debatable. While some people may experience migraine headaches after drinking alcohol, others may not.
The information provided in this article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should not rely upon the content provided in this article for specific medical advice. If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to your doctor. According to Dr. Kevin Moore, PsyD, an addiction specialist, alcohol fools your body into thinking that you’re drinking water, but in reality, alcohol actually poisons the brain cells. June is National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month (MHAM), which is a great opportunity for communities to spread awareness about suffering from headaches and migraine. So with that goal in mind, we spoke to a number of physicians specializing in headache and migraine treatment as well as addiction medicine to find out exactly why drinking may trigger a headache.
Alcohol and headaches
People who rely on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to manage migraine pain should also be careful with alcohol. Drinking alcohol while taking NSAIDs can increase the risk of serious side effects, like gastrointestinal bleeding. The more alcohol consumed, the more the risk of these problems increases. People with migraine might confuse later-occurring headaches for regular hangover headaches, which are different from the migraine kind.
Early effects of alcohol may dull sensations and have an analgesic (pain-relieving) effect. But as alcohol leaves your body, it may have the opposite effect and increase pain sensitivity. Alcohol may increase blood flow to certain parts of your brain. But whether this causes or relieves headache symptoms depends largely on the type of headache. The review also suggests that having migraine leads people to avoid alcohol, rather than alcohol having any protective role against migraine. It’s important to note that alcohol use disorder is a serious illness that can have life-threatening consequences.
Eat a meal before drinking
Research shows that alcohol is among the most frequently and consistently mentioned triggers for migraine,, but not everyone responds to them the same way. If you decide to avoid alcohol altogether, there are plenty of non-alcoholic alternatives that can still make your social gatherings enjoyable. Some might find that red wine is a guaranteed trigger, while others might handle it fine but have issues with beer or spirits. Table 3 shows the distribution of daily alcoholic beverage consumption.
- Histamine, tannins, tyramine, flavonoid phenols, sulfites, and phenylethylamine are all found within alcoholic beverages and this also includes beer.
- When we really keep track, sometimes we find that the food or drink was not to blame at all.
- Calling a migraine a headache is like calling Mount Everest a hill.
Causes & Risk Factors
However, knowing the effects alcohol may have on your body and migraine attacks could help you make up your mind. Many people diagnosed with migraine work hard to figure out what causes (or triggers) their migraine attacks. For some, making dietary and lifestyle changes plays a critical role in managing symptoms and preventing future attacks.
Alcohol and Migraine Medication
In this regard, it’s essential to understand your triggers and track your alcohol intake. With personalized migraine tracking and downloadable reports, the CeCe Migraine Management app can help you identify patterns and determine whether alcohol is a consistent trigger for migraine. If you find that alcohol triggers a migraine attack, it may be best to avoid it altogether. Ethanol — the main ingredient in alcohol — is a natural diuretic.
Stress from work, personal issues, diet, toxins, physical stress, chemical or emotional stress can all have negative impacts on oxidative stress, energy levels and even inflammation. Look for options with lower levels of triggering chemicals, like low-tannin wines. Tannins are naturally occurring compounds (called polyphenols) found in grapes, certain fruit juices, and beer. People who suffer with cluster headaches are particularly sensitive to dark beers, according to Dr. Aurora. This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article. The final analysis was therefore based on 20,000 realizations, 10,000 from each chain.
Even people who are not prone to headaches will get a headache after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. One or two drinks with food and water over time might be safe for you, but three or more will produce a hangover headache for many people. Mocktails are easier to find these days; you can always lean on them. Alcohol may trigger migraine attacks, and it’s very unlikely to ease them. Alcohol-induced migraine is different than a hangover, which is caused by overconsuming alcohol. A 2022 study in people with migraine, however, found that drinking alcohol didn’t affect the probability of a migraine attack 24 hours after drinking.
It can help you can alcohol help a migraine identify patterns over time and help your doctor identify if you are experiencing migraine. Having a strong network of people who validate your experience and support you on the good days and bad is so valuable when you live with an invisible illness like migraine. If you’re interested in connecting with more people in the migraine community, we recommend joining our Facebook support group, Move Against Migraine. There, you will find a wonderful community of people who are ready to listen and lift each other up. It’s critical to have a support network of understanding people who can not only check in on you but also empathize with your experience.
Drinking plenty of water will help to prevent a hangover and will also help to keep your migraine attacks at bay. The few experimental studies indicate that the highest congener beverage (bourbon) results in more severe hangover ratings than does the beverage with essentially no congeners (vodka). These congeners tend to affect how people feel the next day, including contributing to increased levels of hangover symptoms. The study also found that it was the ethanol consumption that was responsible for a majority of the hangover symptoms. While some research shows that the correlation between migraines and and headaches might be weaker than once stated, roughly 30% of people who experience migraines report alcohol as a trigger.
Alcohol has different effects on your body depending on when you drink it. These are called immediate and delayed alcohol-induced headaches. Another thing that remains unclear is if the quantity and type of alcohol you drink determines whether you will get a migraine headache. The number of drinks you have, what you’re drinking, and what’s going on in your life may be the primary culprits rather than alcohol itself.
They feel like a dull, constant ache that’s not as bad as a migraine. This helps them find the best way to help you manage your migraine. Seeing a healthcare professional is key for those with migraine. Drinking alcohol can lead to a headache that comes later, even after the alcohol is gone. Mechanisms both inside and outside of the human body lead to ROS generation. For example, the formation of ROS can be induced by external agents such as heavy metals, pollutants, toxins, drugs, smoke, tobacco or radiation, but also alcohol.