People who suffer from migraine are more prone to these reactions — even after drinking less alcohol than people who don’t get migraine headaches. I began having migraine attacks when I was a teenager, but was never properly diagnosed until I was an adult. This began 18 years where I was chronic and mostly intractable, resulting in a migrainous stroke in the summer of 2014.
Can drinking raise my blood pressure?
Consequently, it seems likely that people with migraine to some extent avoid alcohol, which would be one interpretation of our results. After using the above key terms, 1,892 articles were identified in the three databases. 511 papers were found in PubMed, 773 in Embase and 608 in Web of Science. Subsequently, 38 non-English articles, 30 animal studies, seven studies concentrating on molecular pathways to alcohol intake and 562 papers not related to our topic were removed from the remaining records. Then, 142 conference abstracts, 100 reviews, four book chapters and 42 unretrieved studies were not taken into further consideration.
- Also, follow your doctor’s recommendations regarding alcohol consumption.
- However, more recent research indicates no relationship between tension type headaches and alcohol consumption.
- While headaches are generally recognized as a side effect of alcohol in many people, its reputation as a migraine headache trigger may be overestimated.
- 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.
- Although any type of alcohol can trigger a migraine, people who experience regular migraine attacks cite red wine as the most frequent culprit.
You might have heard that red wine is most likely to cause problems. But other drinks like sparkling wine, beer, and hard liquor may be just as likely, if not more, to cause problems. Many things can trigger a migraine, from stress at work to changes in the weather to foods like aged cheese. And for about one-third of people who have migraines, alcohol is also a trigger. No matter what you call it—a headache journal, migraine diary, headache tracker—keeping track of your symptoms can be a versatile tool to help better manage your health.
What effects can alcohol have on attacks?
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. 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 sober house primary care provider. 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.
How alcohol can disrupt our sleep and trigger migraine
As a person, he is one half of one of two sets of twins in his family. Health Union reaches millions of people through condition-specific online health communities and a Social Health Network of patient leaders across virtually all health conditions. Alcohol consumption causes a range of different physical symptoms. The tables below group alcohol types by the amount of these additives.
The difference between these two types of headaches is subtle. While anyone can experience DAIH, people with migraine are more susceptible. Even a modest amount of alcohol can cause people with migraine to develop a delayed headache or trigger an attack. The short answer is that while it’s possible for alcohol to cause a migraine attack, it’s often a bit more complicated.
Studies have shown that alcoholic drinks act as a trigger for migraines in up to one-third of patients. When you consume alcohol, it can cause headaches due to factors. Alcohol is a diuretic that increases urine production and can lead to dehydration.
2020 research shows that females are more likely to experience hangovers, memory problems, and liver disease from consuming alcohol. This article will explore the relationship between alcohol and headache and consider why some people develop an alcohol headache after one drink. People who experienced migraine with alcohol were more likely to have migraine with aura and to experience more migraine days and more frequent attacks. Although genetic factors influence the risk of having migraine, environmental triggers can cause episodes or increase their frequency. Alcohol-induced headaches generally resolve within 72 hours of onset, although they can and many do last for a shorter time period. While these headaches eventually do subside, it is important to talk to a medical provider about headache triggers and develop a plan to minimize them.
The same is true if you find that some types of alcohol trigger your migraine headaches more than others. Avoiding migraine triggers is one of the only sure-fire ways to avoid migraine symptoms. Rimm thinks the biological evidence still shows that moderate alcohol consumption offers a small benefit for heart disease and other conditions such as type 2 diabetes. But these benefits are probably averaged out—or maybe even outweighed—by traffic injuries, breast cancer and other risks of moderate drinking. Histamine, tannins, tyramine, flavonoid phenols, sulfites, and phenylethylamine are all found within alcoholic beverages and this also includes beer.
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. Seven articles used International Headache Society (IHS) criteria from 1988 46, 47, 50, 51, 56, 59, 60. This information is not designed to replace a physician’s independent judgment about the appropriateness or risks of a procedure for a given patient.
How to Know if You Have Migraine or Sinus Headache
A migraine each time you have a night out should be a good reason to abstain. But if you’re prone to migraine headaches, you’ll need to be careful about how much you drink. 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.
- Tannin, a component in red wine, has been long considered the culprit.
- However, there is a need to conduct further studies related to primary headaches and alcohol consumption with low risk of bias.
- There are a few things at play that could help us understand the connection between migraine and drinking alcohol.
- Anton emphasizes that exercise doesn’t necessarily have a direct effect on how alcohol is metabolized, so it shouldn’t be an excuse to start drinking.
- 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.
How To Support Someone With Migraine
As you work with your doctor on next steps, it will be important to maintain access to reliable resources on migraine. We recommend a look at our patient guides, which include useful information including how to talk to your doctor about migraine. Receiving a formal migraine diagnosis is the first milestone when working with your doctor to identify a personalized and effective treatment plan. Continuing to talk with your doctor throughout the course of your treatment is important for determining the strategies that prove beneficial and those that may not be as effective. Did you know that 20% of women say they avoid pregnancy because of migraine?
What is the best alcohol for migraine sufferers?
There’s no proof that drinking raw eggs or downing hot sauce will get rid of your morning-after migraine faster. Downing more alcohol (the “hair of the dog” theory) won’t help either. It may be worth considering some treatment options to help you manage your symptoms. It will be crucial to have access to reliable resources on migraine as you work to manage this disease. The American Migraine Foundation https://northiowatoday.com/2025/01/27/sober-house-rules-what-you-should-know-before-moving-in/ offers extensive resources to help you explore your symptoms and treatment options. This Diagnosis & Treatment page walks you through next steps after a diagnosis.
Can alcohol give you a migraine attack?
Red wine is the type of alcohol most often reported as a headache trigger. In a study published in 2018, 77.8% of patients reported red wine as a trigger in general, with 8.8% of patients noting it as a consistent trigger. While a hangover headache can happen to anyone (usually the morning after drinking too much alcohol), people who experience migraines are more susceptible. In a 2007 study, Austrian researchers examined a number of factors related to migraine, specifically considering consumption of alcohol and other nutritional factors the day before the onset of a headache. They found limited importance of nutrition, including alcohol intake, in the triggering of migraine.
If you have chronic headaches, identifying and avoiding your triggers can substantially improve your quality of life. To determine if drinking (which may have a weaker correlation with migraines than previously thought) is one of yours, it’s helpful to learn the signs of alcohol-induced headaches. When alcohol is a trigger for one’s usual primary headaches, the pain usually occurs within three hours of alcohol consumption. If alcohol is a confirmed trigger for your migraine, then avoiding alcohol is the best solution. If you’re unsure whether alcohol is triggering your migraine, keep a detailed migraine journal that includes any foods and alcohol consumed throughout the week.