Aim to drink plenty of water before, after, and during alcohol consumption. Making sure to drink plenty of water during and after alcohol consumption can decrease the chance of headaches. As a result, a female’s blood alcohol concentration tends to be higher, making it more likely for females to experience headaches and hangovers. This article will explore the relationship between alcohol and headache and consider why some people develop an alcohol headache after one drink. One important study limitation is that the amount of alcohol subjects consumed was not recorded in a standardized manner. Therefore, the authors were unable to accurately estimate the actual dose of ethanol, nor could they say much about how the type of alcohol factored into the results.
- At the National Headache Institute, we investigate to find the underlying causes of migraine and headaches.
- Whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) states that there is no safe alcohol dose 19, Panconesi et al. conclude that low consumption is not a contraindication for headache patients 79.
- No convergence issues were identified in Model 3 (neither in the full nor in the simplified, final model).
- Whether or not alcohol is a common migraine headache trigger is debatable.
Additives in different types of alcohol
Researchers found that those with an anxiety disorder were between 2.1 and 3.3 times as likely to develop alcohol use disorder. Alcohol allergy and intolerance can result in similar symptoms but are caused by different underlying factors. An immune response causes alcohol allergy, whereas the digestive system is responsible for alcohol intolerance. While dehydration does not cause anxiety, these conditions are related. Drinking alcohol triggers the hormone vasopressin, which regulates your body’s water and salt levels. It signals the kidneys to take in more fluid and produce urine, increasing how much you urinate (pee).
Types of headaches
It’s common for people who drink alcohol to wake up the next day with a distinct sense of worry, panic, unease, or fear. Along with headache and nausea, anxiety can be a symptom of alcohol withdrawal or hangover. There are many reasons that alcohol triggers this hangover anxiety, colloquially called “hangxiety.” Aside from contributing to the flavor of the alcohol, congeners increase the severity and frequency of hangover symptoms, including headaches. Congeners tend to aggravate brain tissue and blood vessels, which contributes to headaches.
We recommend taking a look at our patient guides, which include useful information like how to talk to your doctor about migraine. 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.
Relationship between alcohol and primary headaches: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Table 3 shows the distribution of daily alcoholic beverage consumption. If they trigger migraines look for an alternative without alcohol. When enjoying a night out on the town, there are several triggers you may expose yourself to including bright flashing lights, loud music, food and alcohol. A slice of cheesecake or pizza can do far more damage for some people migraines from alcohol than others.
Headache and Migraine After Alcohol Use – Causes and Relief
You can try sips (or other small amounts) of different types of alcohol to see how your migraine reacts. Keep in mind that you may have to deal with several migraine attacks before you can determine what kind of alcohol causes your symptoms. Given that, this may not be the best approach if you’re unwilling to trade discomfort for a personal “safe” list of beverages. 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 has also been proposed that alcohol triggers an inflammatory response that can lead to a headache. Tannin, a component in red wine, has been long considered the culprit. It has also been found that a specific flavonoid in red wine inhibits an enzyme that metabolizes certain components of red wine, contributing to a build up chemicals that can cause a headache. Brandy, red wine, and rum have the highest levels of congeners, while gin and vodka contain fewer of these chemicals.
The alcohol in the blood increases more quickly with liquor than with beer. For example, if a person drinks liquor before beer, they are likely to feel the effects of the alcohol sooner. Migraine typically begins slowly and may increase in severity if left untreated. They involve throbbing pain that generally occurs on one side of the head. For example, on average, females tend to weigh less than males.
To summarize, for people with migraine, the best alcoholic choices are clear liquors like vodka, gin, or dry white wine. The alcohols more likely to trigger a migraine attack are dark liquors like bourbon, whiskey or red wine. If you do drink alcohol, it’s important to be mindful of your consumption and to experiment to see what works best for you. Most importantly, monitor how you feel when you drink alcohol and be willing to have open and honest conversations about drinking with your doctor and other important people in your life. Quantity is definitely a factor in whether drinking alcohol will trigger a headache, and the quality of alcohol probably plays a role as well. We do not know for sure, though, how any specific type of alcoholic beverage will affect people with migraine.
What Are the Symptoms?
People with migraine often report trigger factors – particular substances or circumstances that provoke a migraine attack. Alcohol is often reported as a trigger among individuals with migraine or other kinds of headaches. However, findings on the association between alcohol intake and migraine are inconclusive for a number of reasons, including cultural, regional, and individual differences in the consumption of alcohol. Like food triggers, the likelihood of a particular type of alcohol triggering a headache is probably different from person to person. If you suffer from migraines, talk with your doctor about how alcohol may affect you. Assessment of alcohol consumption is challenging, because the results are dependent on the patient’s honesty.
There are also the side effects of drinking that might be to blame. Mixed models obtain the differences between each individual effect and the population estimates, thus estimates from Table 4 can be adjusted to provide an individualized model for each user. Figure 1 shows the results of the predicted probabilities (median and 95% CI) of migraine attack for each of the 487 individuals.
Alcohol is broken down in the liver by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase. People with a variant in this enzyme have issues with metabolizing alcohol and can develop total body flushing or reddening of the skin. Different types of alcohol are made through a fermentation process. Alcohols like gin and vodka are fermented first from a mash of foods that contain starch and sugar. They are then distilled to increase the alcohol content and this process removes the congeners in the alcohol. Those who were included in this study had episodic migraine and self-identified as low dose alcohol consumers.
When an Alcohol-Induced Headache Strikes
It will be crucial to have access to reliable resources on migraine as you work to manage this disease. The American Migraine Foundation offers extensive resources to help you explore your symptoms and treatment options. This Diagnosis & Treatment page walks you through next steps after a diagnosis. You could also search our Resources Library to learn more about symptoms, triggers and treatments. It’s important to stay updated on the latest migraine research and treatment strategies. The American Migraine Foundation Resource Library provides a wealth of articles designed to assist you in understanding your symptoms and treatment options.
A parameter is considered statistically significant when zero does not fall within the 95% CI. Observations with missing information in any of the independent variables were handled with listwise deletion, that is, only complete cases were used for parameter estimation. Alcohol is embedded in our society, and it is difficult to be in a public space without seeing a reference to alcohol or being offered a drink.
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. It has been suggested that a tendency to experience alcohol-induced headaches could be genetic. Migraines in general have been linked to variations in genes, especially those that regulate blood flow to the brain. Substances such as sulfites, histamine, and tyramines are found in alcohol and may contribute to headaches as well.
- Alcohols like gin and vodka are fermented first from a mash of foods that contain starch and sugar.
- This is the typical type of headache induced by alcohol for people with migraine, compared with delayed alcohol-induced headache (DAIH) that appears the next morning — also known as the hangover headache.
- A 2016 study showed that alcohol consistently induced migraine in 10% of people.
- The response to alcohol varies from person to person, and there is no alcohol that absolutely will not cause a migraine or other headache.
Drinking floods the brain with the neurotransmitter (brain chemical) gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which contributes to feelings of short-term relaxation. It also inhibits another neurotransmitter, glutamate, which regulates mood. Acetaldehyde contributes to inflammation in the liver, pancreas, intestinal tract, and brain, among other organs. As a result, people feel malaise (a general feeling of unwellness), fatigue, headache, and other physical symptoms. With 30 years of paying close attention to consumption and the boundaries, I have evolved to limiting high alcohol, highly tannic, and heavily processed wines.