Alcohol seems to trigger both migraine and cluster headaches. However, the type of alcoholic beverage that triggers these headaches is not clear. Vasodilation may trigger migraine attacks in certain individuals. This is especially true for people prone to headaches or migraine without alcohol.
For instance, people who experience alcohol headaches after drinking are likely to suffer the same each time they drink even if it’s after one drink. In addition, if you are prone to migraine headaches, then there is a high chance that you will have headaches after driving alcohol. According to research also, women are more likely to experience headaches than mean after drinking alcoholic beverages.
How Much Alcohol Can Cause a Headache?
As long as you don’t eat meals containing other triggers, this is one of the best things you can do. Try to stick to just a glass or two and eat enough for the food to soak up some of that alcohol. Learn more about the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol. If a headache persists or worsens, can alcohol cause migraines 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. This leads to excessive urination and dehydration, which may cause a headache after a small amount of alcohol.
When you take a drug such as Tylenol while drinking, there is a potential for severe side effects, including liver damage. Ethanol is also a diuretic, meaning it increases urination, which then leads to electrolyte loss and dehydration. Dehydration causes brain cells to contract temporarily, also resulting in headaches. Ethanol is found in every alcoholic drink, and is a key reason why any form or amount of alcohol may contribute to headaches.
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For example, a tension headache may cause pain in the neck or shoulders. A cocktail headache is a headache that occurs within the same evening of drinking alcohol. Unlike a hangover headache, cocktail headaches can be caused by even small amounts of alcohol. If you develop a cocktail headache, take care to rest and nourish your body with water, electrolytes, and a healthy fruit or vegetable snack if possible. The mechanism through which alcohol can trigger these distinct headache disorders is not well understood. It’s interesting to note that cocktail headaches are much rarer than hangover headaches, and they can be triggered by variable amounts of alcohol.
- People can talk with their doctors about possible methods to prevent or ease alcohol-induced headaches.
- Alcohol’s effects on your body include dehydration, inflammation, reduced sleep quality, and the buildup of toxic substances—all of which can give you a headache.
- Still, in population-based studies in various countries, including the U.S., Japan and Italy, researchers found that fewer people with migraine consume alcohol than those without migraine.
- If you develop a cocktail headache, take care to rest and nourish your body with water, electrolytes, and a healthy fruit or vegetable snack if possible.
- Migraine typically begins slowly and may increase in severity if left untreated.
Nausea and/or vomiting is just one of many symptoms a person living with migraine might experience. Because migraine is a highly nuanced disease, it is important to learn about all possible symptoms that may appear before, during or after a migraine attack, including less common ones such as aura. A 2016 review notes that alcohol may trigger a tension headache, especially if a person also has migraine. The research found that 21% of people with migraine say that alcohol is a tension headache trigger, compared with just 2% of people without migraine.
What causes headaches after drinking alcohol?
Therefore are cases where you may need to see a doctor especially if you are prone to migraines. In most cases, alcoholic-related headaches may not require you to see a doctor because most of them go away on themselves after some time or after having some painkillers. There are a variety of compounds in alcohol that can cause post-alcohol related headaches.
For instance, for some people with migraines, just a small amount of alcohol can lead to a cocktail headache, whereas others can tolerate alcohol at the same level as people who don’t get migraines. 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. Staying hydrated and keeping alcohol consumption to a minimum can decrease the chance of experiencing a headache. Individuals who experience severe headaches after drinking alcohol may also avoid alcohol altogether. A 2019 study recognized alcoholic beverages, especially red wine, as a migraine trigger factor for people with migraine.