These individuals commonly cite wine, especially red wine, as a migraine trigger. People who experience a headache after drinking should not assume that it is a migraine attack, especially if they have symptoms consistent with other types of headaches. For example, a tension headache may cause pain in the neck or shoulders. Alcohol’s exact role in triggering a migraine isn’t fully known.
Anxiety disorders and depression are two of the most commonly reported mental illnesses among people who are diagnosed with migraine. By learning how migraine and mental health impact one another and ways to manage both, you can improve your quality of life. Learn more about the relationship between migraine and mental health in this AMF webinar. 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.
“Not every migraine patient is sensitive to every food,” Martin says. When it comes to headaches, “caffeine is a two-edged sword,” says Martin, who is also president of the National Headache Foundation. If you have a bad migraine, a stiff cup of coffee or other caffeinated beverage may actually help your headache. In fact, many over-the-counter analgesic medications, such as Excedrin, contain caffeine along with the pain-relieving ingredient. As long as you don’t eat meals containing other triggers, this is one of the best things you can do.
These alterations in serotonin transmission can lead to abnormal brain activity, potentially resulting in psychological problems or mental illness. Any relief experienced from red wine likely comes from resveratrol, a potentially health-boosting plant compound. The type can beer cause migraines of alcohol that contributes to migraine varies by the person, which is why journaling can be helpful. Any kind of alcohol triggers my migraine, so I don’t drink any alcohol. Just like no two people are alike, different types of alcohol have distinct chemical makeup and effects on the body.
Drink With a Meal
There were a total of 2990 embedded missing days (2990/46,820, 6.4%) resulting in 43,830 days (90 for each individual) eligible for analysis. Migraine days after the first day of attack (3665 migraine days) were removed from the models, leading to a dataset with 40,165 diary entries. A total of 32,911 complete cases including 4679 migraine attacks were analyzed. There isn’t one best alcohol type for individuals with migraine, because triggers can differ from person to person. The best alcohol for migraine sufferers is typically lighter drinks and those with lower levels of congeners. If you’re unsure about the impact of alcohol on your migraine attacks, experiment with moderation.
“In regards to the gentleman from Milwaukee who is getting headaches from beer…I have the same issue. While learning to brew, I learned that some people, myself included, have an allergy to hops. 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. Often, alcohol-induced headaches also have characteristics that resemble your usual headaches, such as migraines, because alcohol is a trigger for these chronic headache conditions.
One of these factors is the impact of alcohol on serotonin nerve transmission in the brain. If you want to determine whether beer triggers your migraines, you can try having a modest portion and waiting between 30 minutes to 3 hours to observe any headache symptoms. It is important to note that migraine symptoms triggered by alcohol usually occur within the first few hours or the next day after consumption. Alcohol may trigger migraine attacks, and it’s very unlikely to ease them.
- However, the type of alcoholic beverage that triggers these headaches is not clear.
- Lastly, if a person experiences unpredictable menstrual migraines, their provider may advise a magnesium supplement.
- If you find that alcohol triggers a migraine attack, it may be best to avoid it altogether.
- Some people may experience an alcohol-related migraine between 30 minutes and 3 hours after drinking.
- To learn more about all of your migraine treatment options, visit the AMF Resource Library.
- In fact, one Dutch study found that 25% of people who suffered from migraines had stopped drinking because it was either an actual or potential trigger.
Conflicting research about alcohol-related headaches
- What’s less than pleasing is the head pain that sometimes follows afterward.
- Different types of alcohol are made through a fermentation process.
- Drinking alcohol is a trigger for migraine in some people – one study found around a third (33%) of people who get migraines are sensitive to alcohol.4 Others react to hunger, or certain foods.
- Dark liquors and red wines may be particularly harmful due to their sugar, sulfate, tannin, and histamine content.
- While a hangover headache or DAIH also causes head pain and nausea, you’ll usually experience these symptoms after drinking and then going to sleep.
- Symptoms can vary from light sensitivity and dizziness to food cravings or body chills.
Alcoholic drinks like beer are diuretics, which means they cause the body to remove fluids more quickly than other liquids. This can lead to dehydration, a common cause of headaches and migraines. Since the research on alcohol as a migraine trigger is limited, and everyone’s body metabolizes foods and drinks differently, it can be helpful to tune into what yours is telling you. How do you know if beer is one of the types of alcohol that can trigger an attack for you? Test to see if alcohol (beer, wine, clear liquors, bourbon etc.) is a trigger by consuming a modest amount and then waiting 30 minutes to 3 hours to see if a migraine attack ensues. “We don’t really know for sure how alcoholic beverages trigger headaches,” Martin says.
Why does Champagne and sparkling wine give me a headache?
Females report more prolonged migraine attacks, a higher likelihood of headache recurrence, and a longer recovery period. Sex hormones that are typically higher in people with ovaries, namely estrogen, are significant in accounting for these differences. Variable alcohol intake had 10.6% missing values on day‐1 and 11.6% on day‐2; migraine on day‐2 was missing in 7.4%. Same‐day alcohol intake (Yes/No), and quantity of each type of alcoholic drink had 4.7% missing values. The majority were female (419/487, 86.0%), actively working (293/378, 77.5%). Most of the females had regular menstrual cycles (247/419, 58.9%).
Migraine affects over 1 billion people worldwide and is more common in females than males, particularly in those of reproductive age—15 to 49 years old. Experts attribute the cause of migraine in females to a complex interaction of factors, including sex hormone changes, psychological/social influences, environmental triggers, and genetics. Our device offers both acute relief during attacks and daily prevention to reduce the frequency of future episodes. Take control of your migraine journey today with CEFALY and reclaim your life from the grasp of migraine pain. Drinking water alongside alcohol can help mitigate the dehydration effect and might reduce the likelihood of a migraine attack. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen may help ease migraine symptoms.
Can drinking water alongside alcohol help prevent migraine?
If you’re prone to migraine attacks, it’s wise to avoid alcoholic beverages altogether. However, if you do drink, be sure to do so in moderation and stay hydrated. Whiskey and red wine are two of the most common migraine triggers.
Tips for management when the attack is already happening
If you think you may have migraine, these answers to common questions can help you further investigate this possibility with a doctor. This includes being careful about the amount of alcohol you consume and paying attention to how and when your migraine symptoms flare up in relation to drinking. If you’re sensitive to noise and sound, avoid loud, flashy environments.
How alcohol can disrupt our sleep and trigger migraine
If you choose to drink, do so responsibly and be prepared to adjust your intake based on your migraine symptoms. Serotonin is a crucial brain chemical that acts as a neurotransmitter, facilitating communication between nerve cells. It plays a significant role in various brain functions, including learning, memory, perception, mood states, and responses to drugs of abuse. Serotonin levels and functions in the brain have been linked to alcohol’s effects, including alcohol abuse. Additionally, the ingredients in beer, such as tyramine, histamine, or tannins, may also contribute to migraines. While researchers are still investigating the link between these ingredients and migraines, some individuals find that certain types of beer trigger their migraines more than others.
A 5-ounce glass of wine (or 12 ounces of beer or a 1.5-fluid-ounce shot) may be OK every now and then, so long as it doesn’t bring on a headache. If it does, you’ll need to drink less or stay away from all alcohol. After a night on the town, it’s easy to blame a headache on too much alcohol. But if you’re prone to migraine headaches, drinking even a small amount of alcohol can bring on an attack. Nausea and/or vomiting is just one of many symptoms a person living with migraine might experience.