Distribution of daily alcoholic beverages consumption (total daily quantity and by type of alcoholic drink), for all person‐days, within‐person means, and within‐person SDs. This dilutes the effect of alcohol in your system and reduces the chance of an alcohol-induced headache or triggering a migraine attack. While there is no magical alcohol that doesn’t cause headaches when consumed in excess, alcohol does vary tremendously from manufacturer to manufacturer. Top-shelf brands not only taste better but may also be less likely to prove a migraine trigger. I caution patients to order a specific brand of alcohol when ordering a cocktail rather than relying on well drinks or lower-quality brands.
Should You Quit Drinking If You Have an Anxiety Disorder?
If a headache persists or worsens, visit a doctor for an examination and treatment recommendations. However, the research suggests that alcohol may not be the only trigger and may also depend on other factors. Other criteria for a person to have a migraine diagnosis include nausea or vomiting and sensitivity to light or noise. Migraine is more common, affecting around 12% of people in the United States.
Causes & Risk Factors
All of these ingredients are linked to reducing inflammation and migraine frequency. Why might the LIFE diet and other ways of eating that include lots of leafy greens be so effective? One theory is that sufficient magnesium in the body can protect against migraines. Magnesium-rich leafy greens like kale, spinach, and Swiss chard can help people consume enough of this crucial nutrient.
Specific Foods for Migraines
“Vasodilators such as L-arginine and L-citrulline cause your blood vessels to expand by increasing nitric oxide in the body,” Reeder explains. While this is useful during exercise, as increased blood flow helps to deliver oxygen and nutrients to muscles, Reeder emphasizes that vasodilation also occurs during migraine attacks. She adds that most pre-workouts also contain artificial sweeteners and caffeine, which are often linked to worsened migraines.
- It’s important to make sure that no gluten was added after the distillation process, especially if celiac disease is a factor for you.
- Some studies suggest that alcohol can trigger migraines in certain individuals, while others find no significant association.
- Eligible individuals were aged ≥18 years with EM who consumed alcohol and had tracked their headache symptoms and alcohol intake for ≥90 days.
- If a headache persists or worsens, visit a doctor for an examination and treatment recommendations.
- And the toppings — green onions, sesame seeds, or lime — let you add a touch of flavor and texture.
Calling a migraine a headache is like calling Mount Everest a hill. The migraine experience is far beyond a regular headache’s pressure, throbbing, or pounding. The awful combination of intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and debilitating neurological symptoms can turn an ordinary day into a marathon of misery.
One of the reasons certain types of alcohol may be more likely to trigger migraine attacks is the presence of congeners. These are by-products of the fermentation process, and they’re found in higher concentrations in dark liquors. Congeners can also include chemicals like histamine, which can trigger migraine attacks and headaches. Some common symptoms are a severe headache, vertigo attack or stroke like symptoms that can last for hours or even days. Migraine sufferers may also experience nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound among other symptoms. To understand more about the symptoms experienced with migraine attacks, read our articles on vestibular migraine or different types of headaches.
“The most common alcohol that triggers a migraine attack is red wine, followed by white wine, champagne and beer,” she says. Are you tired of waking up with a throbbing headache or a migraine attack after a night of drinking? Even people who are not prone to headaches can find themselves with hangover headaches, and about one-third of patients with migraine note alcohol as a trigger for their attacks. Migraine attacks can be debilitating, and most people who experience them will do anything to find relief. Avoiding personally known triggers can be a useful way to reduce the number of potential attacks.
- If you suffer from migraines, you will learn to recognise which particular symptoms affect you.
- No matter the exact percentage of migraine episodes that occur after drinking — be those red or white wine or other alcoholic beverages — the truth is that any alcohol can cause a migraine.
- Anxiety related to poor food choices especially arise if you’re trying to improve your diet or make lifestyle changes.
- Caffeine, a well-known stimulant that impacts the nervous system, may contribute to the onset of migraines for some people.
Why Does Drinking Give Me a Migraine Headache?
If you really want to drink, you may want to find out if any types of alcohol are unlikely to cause symptoms. 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 can alcohol cause migraines you’re unwilling to trade discomfort for a personal “safe” list of beverages.