The type of alcohol being consumed can determine how little is needed to cause a headache. This is because ingredients and additives used in alcohol production can trigger headaches. Ethanol is also a diuretic, meaning it increases urination, which then leads to electrolyte loss and dehydration.
Conflicting research about alcohol-related headaches
While hangovers do contribute to headaches after drinking, they are not the only cause. Hangover symptoms can include headaches, nausea, and fatigue due to inflammation and blood sugar fluctuations. Some individuals experience alcohol intolerance or sensitivity, which heightens their susceptibility to headaches after drinking even small amounts of alcohol. This intolerance Alcohol Use Disorder may stem from genetic factors affecting how one metabolizes alcohol.
- If your headache persists for more than 24 hours, you may want to consult a doctor to ensure there isn’t a problem more serious than a hangover.
- Women generally have less body water and lower levels of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which is responsible for breaking down alcohol.
- Headaches can stem from various causes, ranging from tension and stress to dietary choices and dehydration.
- Try to eat some fruits, herbs, and vegetables that are helpful for alcohol-induced headache recovery.
Alcohol as a Migraine Trigger
This type of headache is less common, but many people may notice the symptoms developing within 3 hours of drinking. However, the headache is known to clear after 72 hours of abstinence. Having another drink may temporarily curb withdrawal symptoms and make you feel better. But unless you intend to keep drinking, the alcohol levels in your body will eventually drop, causing a headache anyway. And, of course, continuing to drink to avoid hangover symptoms can increase your risk of alcohol dependence in the long run. Red wine often gets the most blame, but beer can also have a significant impact.
- Allergies and asthma can both lead to an alcohol intolerance, as alcohol can trigger an allergic response as well as constrict airways.
- When you drink carbonated beverages, the gas can cause bloating and make your stomach expand.
- In addition to this, people are sometimes more likely to drink more when they are feeling stressed and a little reckless.
- However, a preference or aversion to a specific drink is based on personal experiences and observations.
Why Does Drinking Give Me a Migraine Headache?
This eliminates at least one of the possible triggers of tension headaches. Some medical professionals believe it is a chemical sensitivity to the compounds in alcohol that trigger cluster headaches. Others blame the congeners in alcohol or the dilating effects of alcohol. Due to similarities, cluster headaches and migraine headaches often get grouped together. Both headache types can include severe headache pain and sensitivity to light. Alcohol-related headaches can be a frustrating experience, especially for those who live with migraine.
Treatment for a Beer Headache
This means that darker liquors such as brandy, dark rum, and whisky contain more congeners than lighter ones, such as gin and vodka. Individuals from different ethnic backgrounds why does drinking alcohol give me a headache may have variable sensitivity to alcohol.
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. For a hangover headache, also called a delayed alcohol-induced headache, experts believe that nerve chemicals involved in central pain control, like serotonin, are likely responsible. Research is necessary to determine which remedy is most effective.
The delayed alcohol headache or the hangover is visible the next day. This hangover can rapidly evolve into a full-blown migraine that is difficult to control. Always drink responsibly—which includes minimizing the chances that alcohol will affect your migraine. Current medical opinions on alcohol consumption are evolving with research, so it’s important to educate yourself on the effects of alcohol on your health. If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or other dependency issues, there are many resources that are ready to help.
They can cause blood vessels in the brain to dilate or constrict, leading to changes in blood flow that can trigger headaches. The alcohol content in IPAs is generally higher than in other beer styles, which can exacerbate headache symptoms. Higher alcohol levels can lead to increased dehydration and affect the central nervous system. This combination can heighten headache frequency and severity for some drinkers. Choosing lighter-coloured drinks, taking things slowly and feeling the changes in your body as you drink can reduce the risk of severe hangover headaches. Like so many other answers to science questions, “it depends.” Body weight and gender are very important factors.
However, if the role of ADs in triggering MA and TH will be confirmed, a common trigger site should be considered. In this case, a direct action at the vascular system is hardly compatible with TH or MA. More plausible is an action at subcortical pain modulatory circuits, which in some way stimulate the neural generator of CH (hypothalamus?) and of migraine aura (cortex?, thalamus?). Research suggests that experiencing an unpleasant effect from drinking alcohol may alter alcohol consumption. In fact, many headache sufferers abstain from alcohol or consume less than the general population.
Home Remedies for Headaches Caused by Non-Alcoholic Beer
White wine is made without the grape skin, so it has a lower histamine content than red wine, which is made from the whole grape. A histamine sensitivity could make you more susceptible to a headache. “You need to drink water when you’re drinking alcohol,” she cautions.