Content
In these retrospective studies, only 10% reported a frequent link. Avoiding alcohol isn’t the only way to avoid an alcohol-related migraine headache. There are some health https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/making-living-amends-during-addiction-recovery/ 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.
Most studies point to red wine as a common headache culprit, particularly in people with migraine. These individuals commonly cite wine, especially red wine, as a migraine trigger. Moreover, people who drink alcohol may not drink as much water, intensifying the water loss. It may also trigger headaches related to headache disorders, such as migraine.
Related content
“Alcohol consumption is one of the most common dietary triggers for migraine sufferers,” says Dr. Sara Crystal, Cove Medical Director, noting that alcohol causes two specific types of headaches. Migraine sufferers also show different drinking habits – they consume less alcohol, especially beer and liquors. Alcohol hangover is a poorly understood cluster of symptoms occurring following a heavy consumption of alcohol. The term “delayed alcohol-induced headache” is often used synonymously.
- Neurologist and headache expert Dr. Belinda Savage-Edwards explains that migraine attacks can occur with little alcohol.
- It may not be the best sleep, or it may even lead to waking up on the wrong side of the bed.
- The effects on other body systems are also important in the symptoms of alcohol intoxication.
- Much of this expense is related to hangovers in light to moderate drinkers.
- Whiskey and red wine are two of the most common migraine triggers.
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. But chances are, your migraines aren’t really stemming from sulfites.
How little is enough to make an impact the next day?
They found limited importance of nutrition, including alcohol intake, in the triggering of migraine. The short answer is that while it’s possible for alcohol to cause a migraine attack, it’s often a bit more complicated. In some studies, about one-third of people living with migraine reported alcohol as a migraine trigger (at least occasionally).
The 13 hangover symptoms were divided by the researches into migraine-like and other nonmigraine-like symptoms. If you aren’t sure that alcohol is to blame for your headaches, try keeping a diary. Each time you drink, write down the type of alcohol you have, the amount, and if and when you had headache after drinking alcohol a migraine. Include how you felt the prior 48 hours as well as any stress or anxiety you were under at the time. A migraine each time you have a night out should be good reason to abstain. People who get migraine attacks during or after drinking should consider reducing or eliminating alcohol.
Ethanol and migraine
If you want to test to see if alcohol is a trigger, test one of these best alcohols for migraine and headaches on a day when you feel good and other triggers are low. Understanding certain food components of some alcoholic beverages will help you understand your choices when it comes to selecting the best alcohol to avoid migraine. And it doesn’t always take a full glass of alcohol to cause a migraine. For some, a migraine can start after just a few sips of an alcoholic drink.
Which type of alcohol is good for migraines?
Vodka – This tends to be the best tolerated alcohol for most people with a migraine disorder.
The similarity between the symptomatology of these two common disorders, migraine and hangover, has led us to compare alcohol hangover symptoms in migraine sufferers and nonsufferers. We hypothesized that migraine sufferers are more susceptible to specific aspects of the hangover symptomatology complex, namely those that are similar to the migraine attack. If you’re hungry, grab a healthy snack (like a protein bar or granola bar) along with your glass of water. Fasting and skipping meals are common headache and migraine triggers, so filling up your stomach with nutritious foods (instead of sugary drinks) may also help. 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.