When you drink, your liver can undergo inflammation or dehydration, which exacerbates hangover symptoms. Continued heavy drinking can lead to severe conditions like hepatitis, fibrosis, or even liver cancer. Interestingly, while alcohol can create feelings of calm, it can also act as a stimulant that impairs alertness. Long-term use might lead to a build-up of toxins in the brain, affecting essential nutrient absorption and potentially resulting in detrimental cognitive effects.
Is there a safe amount of alcohol to drink without causing a headache?
Regardless of the percentage of people affected, it is clear that the effects of alcohol can result in migraine episodes for some people. Any relief experienced from red wine likely comes from resveratrol, a potentially health-boosting plant compound. Primary care physician Monica Kalra, DO, explained that alcohol can cause histamine release, and histamine can cause the widening of blood cells in the brain, which may trigger a migraine attack.
- Most importantly, you should always consult your health care provider before beginning a new supplement regimen.
- Downing more alcohol (the “hair of the dog” theory) won’t help either.
- That means that stress isn’t solely a feature of the environment but includes your perception and interpretation of what’s happening around you.
How does alcohol affect blood pressure?
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.” According to the American Migraine Foundation, internationally, about 10 percent of people with migraine report a frequent link between alcohol and headaches. In some parts of the world, that number drops to as low as 1.4 percent.
- Keeping a migraine journal that includes the type of alcohol consumed, time, and any other potential triggers can help you determine whether it’s in your best interest to avoid alcohol.
- A study of over 20,000 participants found that light exertion — without sweating or getting out of breath — was most beneficial for migraine relief.
- I caution patients to order a specific brand of alcohol when ordering a cocktail rather than relying on well drinks or lower-quality brands.
- Find out why alcoholic drinks can cause problems for migraine sufferers and what you can do to prevent alcohol-related migraines.
- Of course, listing triggers is not the same as explaining the root causes (if I were trying to impress you, I’d use the fancy medical term “pathogenesis”).
What Types of Alcoholic Drinks Are Most Likely to Cause Migraines?
Those who were included in this study had episodic migraine and self-identified as low dose alcohol consumers. According to Beyond Celiac, distilled gin and vodka are gluten free. It’s important to make sure that no gluten was added after the distillation process, especially if celiac disease is a factor for you. Generally, these clear alcohols are highly distilled and have almost no leftover congeners from the beginning fermentation process. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
What to know about headaches after alcohol
Preventing migraine begins with identifying and reducing or eliminating common migraine triggers such as alcohol, dehydration, and certain foods. A person should try keeping a migraine diary for a few weeks or months to observe trends in their headache patterns. While a hangover headache can happen to anyone can alcohol cause migraines (usually the morning after drinking too much alcohol), people who experience migraines are more susceptible. Around 30% of people who experience recurrent migraines report alcohol as a trigger, and 10% of patients cite it as a frequent or consistent trigger.
