Alcohol and Migraine: Relationship, Triggers, Treatment & More

Severe cases of dehydration affect the fluids around the brain and decrease the blood pressure as well as the flow of blood to the brain. Reduced blood pressure in the brain can cause pain and sensitivity due to widening arteries to blood flow which in most cases results to headaches. The type of alcohol does not seem to affect whether a person gets a headache. While red wine has been described as a dominant trigger of migraines and cluster headaches, white wine, champagne, sparkling wines, and beer have also been linked to headaches. If you’re concerned about your physical well-being, consider visiting a health care provider to discuss what steps you can take to prevent this sickness in the future. Other reasons why alcohol causes headaches include changes in blood flow to the brain, inflammation of blood vessels, and its impact on serotonin levels.

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• A 2019 study surveyed people with migraine who drank alcohol.
• Sleep deprivation can cause negative effects such as increased blood pressure or gastrointestinal discomfort.
• Or you might be fine until after your blood alcohol level returns to normal.
• Alcohol is identified as an occasional trigger in about a third of people who experience migraine headaches, but it’s only a consistent trigger in about 10 percent of migraine sufferers.
• In cross-sectional studies, six out of the 11 had a high risk of bias [46,47,48, 51, 56, 60], because they received fewer than 6 positive answers.

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. Those diagnosed with a specific type of headache may be more prone to develop a specific type of headache after consuming alcohol.

• Wine, beer, and spirits did not elevate the risk of migraine with aura, but sparkling wine did.
• Also, consider sleeping, especially, if you haven’t had sleep for a while.
• It’s well known that drinking too much alcohol can cause a variety of symptoms the next day.
• Pregnancy can add another complicated layer to your migraine journey, but having a strong support system will make it easier to navigate the ups and downs.

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Of the 1,547 participants, 783 said that alcohol was a trigger, and 195 were not sure. People who experienced migraine with alcohol were more likely to have migraine with aura and to experience more migraine days and more frequent attacks. Avoiding alcohol isn’t the only way to avoid an alcohol-related migraine headache. There are some health benefits to moderate alcohol consumption, but the key is knowing what types of alcohol cause your headaches, in what amounts, and what other factors might be involved. Alcohol is identified as an occasional trigger in about a third of people who experience migraine headaches, but it’s only a consistent trigger in about 10 percent of migraine sufferers. Feeling sick after just one drink could also mean that you’ve developed an allergy to something in that drink.

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• Researchers don’t know exactly what causes alcohol-induced migraine attacks.
• Vasodilation can stimulate certain brain nerves and result in pain.
• You may think that a single glass of wine might not be enough to cause an alcohol-induced headache, but this isn’t necessarily true.
• This uncertainty makes it difficult for many people who want to responsibly enjoy alcohol during the holidays or on special occasions to effectively manage their migraine symptoms.

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. It can help you identify patterns over time and help your doctor identify if you are experiencing migraine. For example, drinking even a small amount of alcohol decreases sleep quality. Sleep deprivation can cause negative effects such as increased blood pressure or gastrointestinal discomfort. Avoiding drinking is the best way to prevent an alcohol-related headache. Males should aim to drink two or fewer drinks daily, and females should aim to drink one or fewer.

First of all, the existing studies present data in a heterogeneous way, which may have led to inaccurate results, and do not provide an exhaustive array of information. alcohol causes migraines Information on the gender of participants was unavailable for analysis. So, the question of who is drinking more with a primary headache is still to be addressed.

• In Europe, 60% of adults over 60 years of age are current drinkers, and 20% of these had higher levels of consumption than the general population [22].
• 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.
• Instead, researchers suggest that alcohol as a trigger is more of a personal reaction — common in certain types of headaches — than a general effect.
• It has also been proposed that alcohol triggers an inflammatory response that can lead to a headache.

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