The review also suggests that having migraine leads people to avoid alcohol, rather than alcohol having any protective role against migraine. 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. However, these individuals were not more vulnerable to other hangover symptoms.
If you typically have a cup of coffee every day, the dose of caffeine can help ensure that your hangover headache doesn’t get worse, as long as your stomach can handle it. Experts recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Advil and Motrin (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen) to provide relief. Try to avoid options that contain acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, as this ingredient may cause liver damage when taken in combination with alcohol. If you have a headache or other aches and pains following a night of drinking, you may reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever. ElectroCore is committed to the safety and care of our patients, providers, and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have implemented several operational enhancements, including home delivery and virtual training, to ensure our patients have uninterrupted access to gammaCoreTM (non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator).
Table 3 shows the distribution of daily alcoholic beverage consumption. Although alcohol has long been suspected to be a common migraine trigger, studies have been inconclusive in proving this association. Light sensitivity is a common symptom of migraine (as is sensitivity to sounds or smells), but not everyone who has the disease will experience it. Identify other symptoms of migraine and find answers to Frequently Asked Questions to help you start the conversation about migraine with your primary care provider.
- If you have chronic headaches, identifying and avoiding your triggers can substantially improve your quality of life.
- Distribution of daily alcoholic beverages consumption (total daily quantity and by type of alcoholic drink), for all person‐days, within‐person means, and within‐person SDs.
- When you consume alcohol, it causes blood vessels to expand or dilate, leading to increased blood flow.
- Migraine typically begins slowly and may increase in severity if left untreated.
- Those diagnosed with a specific type of headache may be more prone to develop a specific type of headache after consuming alcohol.
Why Does Alcohol Cause Headaches?
As a physician, my best advice for decreasing or avoiding alcohol-related headaches is to take steps to change your relationship with alcohol. Monument is an online alcohol treatment platform that can help provide support every step of the way. You can get peer support, and explore treatment options like therapy and medication to stop drinking. Since alcohol has a dehydrating effect, drinking 16 ounces of water between each alcoholic beverage can help offset alcohol-related dehydration. Drinks that include electrolytes, such as sports drinks, can help replace the electrolytes you lose from the diuretic effects of alcohol.
Be Cautious With Pain Medication
At the time of the study the App was only available in English. Participants who registered to use the platform through physician referral, or via the website or the App Store, between October 2014 and March 2018 were eligible. At the time of the study, the app was only available to users of iOS. This will why does alcohol cause migraines be helpful in guiding conversations with your doctor about your symptoms.
Cluster headaches
However, if caffeine is not part of your daily routine, you should avoid drinking it with a hangover. For non-coffee-drinkers, the added caffeine could cause unwanted effects that can make a hangover feel worse. Caffeine and alcohol may be mildly dehydrating and can also slightly increase blood pressure. After drinking alcohol, be sure to prioritize rest the next day, if possible, to help combat your hangover. Even if you aren’t super tired, it’s probably a good idea to take it easy. Long-term effects of alcohol can limit the ability to perform at your best.
If your support system is lacking, consider joining a support group. Finding a community of people who understand exactly what you’re going through is like being welcomed home after a long, tiring day. Our Move Against Migraine support group is a place for you to connect with others (via Facebook) who live with migraine to exchange stories and find community and support. Finding people whom you can lean on for support can help lift some of the burden of managing migraine before, during and after pregnancy.
Whether you have lived with migraine for a few months or a few decades, you know migraine can be a challenging experience. You should continue to seek proper medical attention and access information to help alleviate the burden. Consider joining our Move Against Migraine support group on Facebook so you can connect with others who live with migraine.
Most of the females had regular menstrual cycles (247/419, 58.9%). Individuals reported a mean (SD) of 6.1 (3.3) migraine days per month and 3.7 (1.7) migraine attacks per month. Should you eat or avoid certain foods to prevent migraine attacks? Learn how to make healthy nutritional and dietary choices while managing migraine symptoms. If alcohol is a confirmed trigger for your migraine, then avoiding alcohol is the best solution.
Ever experienced a headache from drinking red wine? Researchers may have identified a reason
A detailed description of the steps performed during study selection is presented in Fig. Unfortunately, these mitigation strategies don’t apply universally. Further, if quercetin contributes to headaches with red wine, it may not be the only factor that does so.
This chemical is a vasodilator, which increases the size of blood vessels in the body. Any relief experienced from red wine likely comes from resveratrol, a potentially health-boosting plant compound. Understanding ways to treat an alcohol-induced migraine attack already in progress and prevent one altogether can be empowering. Yet, a 2016 study pointed out that estimates vary and the reason that alcohol use might trigger migraine episodes is still unclear. Understanding whether alcohol is a migraine trigger and how to treat and prevent it can help you make the best choices about what and how much you drink.
Keep reading to learn more about the connection between migraine and alcohol. Consider shaking up a fresh mocktail or cracking open one of the countless better-for-you sodas on the market. Even if you are feeling nauseous, it is a good idea to eat breakfast after drinking. Choose a more nutritious breakfast over a greasy comfort meal.
- They should talk to a medical provider about these triggers in order to minimize their headaches.
- Beer and hard liquor don’t seem to bother me as long as I am plenty hydrated before I have a drink.
- Additionally, there were cases 56, 57 where division was based on never, current or past drinking.
- A 2019 study surveyed people with migraine who drank alcohol.
- Any kind of alcohol triggers my migraine, so I don’t drink any alcohol.
Drinking alcohol can result in several different types of headaches with unique characteristics. Ethanol is also a diuretic, meaning it increases urination, which then leads to electrolyte loss and dehydration. Dehydration causes brain cells to contract temporarily, also resulting in headaches.
Additionally, alcohol can also cause dehydration, which further exacerbates the headache-inducing effects. Understanding these mechanisms can help us make informed choices and take steps to prevent or manage alcohol-related headaches. If you suffer from migraines, you may find that drinking alcohol can trigger an episode. Find out why alcoholic drinks can cause problems for migraine sufferers and what you can do to prevent alcohol-related migraines. In addition to red wine, other alcoholic beverages, including beer, white wine, and liqueur, have also been reported as headache triggers. Whether or not alcohol is a common migraine headache trigger is debatable.
Although genetic factors influence the risk of having migraine, environmental triggers can cause episodes or increase their frequency. It can’t prevent a migraine, but it can help stop one after it starts. Triptans work best when you take them at the early signs of a migraine. You could get a headache within 30 minutes to 3 hours of drinking. Some people only sip a glass or two of wine before their head starts to throb.
Because every person is different, it helps to hear what tactics (not necessarily evidence based) help others. Alcohol consumption causes a range of different physical symptoms. This leads to excessive urination and dehydration, which may cause a headache after a small amount of alcohol.