Some people think a combination of alcohol and other factors triggers their migraine headaches — for instance, the combination of alcohol and stress or alcohol and low blood sugar. A 2020 study found that the amount of alcohol consumed had a more significant effect. Researchers found that, for people with episodic migraine, having one or two drinks wasn’t likely to trigger headaches, but having five or more drinks was. Additives and preservatives are known migraine triggers, and they’re not only found in packaged foods. Sulfites are particularly bothersome for migraine sufferers, and they are almost universally used in wine. Check labels closely if you know that sulfites mess with your head.

Health Conditions

• Pregnancy can add another complicated layer to your migraine journey, but having a strong support system will make it easier to navigate the ups and downs.
• Aim to drink plenty of water before, after, and during alcohol consumption.
• More than a third of the participants said that alcohol had this effect, with about 78% naming red wine as the most common alcohol trigger.
• The authors are now studying other factors and behaviors, including stress, anxiety, and sleep, that may affect the association between alcohol intake and migraine onset to better understand the clinical implications of their combined effects.

Red dots represent the median individual probability, and vertical lines represent the individual 95% CI. These probabilities (red dots) serve as reference for the other three panels. When there was alcohol intake on day‐2 (regardless of intake on day‐1, Figure 1C,D) the probability of migraine attack was lower compared to when there was no alcohol intake in both day‐1 and day‐2 (red dots).

The Connection between Headaches, Alcohol Withdrawal, and Stress

Substances such as sulfites, histamine, and tyramines are found in alcohol and may contribute to headaches as well. It has also been proposed that alcohol triggers an inflammatory response that can lead to a headache. Certain additives can increase the chance of developing a headache after drinking. People prone to headaches may be at a higher risk of experiencing alcohol-related headaches.

Content Types

Regional differences were reported, perhaps depending in part on alcohol habits. No differences were found between migraine and tension headache and different genders. However, prospective studies limit considerably the importance of alcohol as a trigger. Recent studies show that migraine patients consume less alcohol than controls. Red wine was can alcohol cause migraines reported to be the principal trigger of migraine, but other studies show that white wine or other drinks are more involved. Then, the discussion based on the different composition of the various alcoholic beverages, in order to discover the content of alcoholic drinks responsible for migraine attack, reflects this uncertainty.

Demographic data

Nevertheless, the tendency was higher to develop migraine-like symptoms of the hangover. While alcohol hangover is a common disorder,10 causing suffering and disability to millions worldwide, there is no direct way to measure it. The HSS, which was used in this study, was developed to provide a useful hangover measure, assessing multiple symptom domains, which do not rely on respondents’ subjective definitions of hangover. Assessing the percentage of drinking occasions after which hangover symptoms allows the HSS item scores to be interpreted as hangover susceptibility or proneness.

• This can help you find your triggers so you can discuss them with your doctor.
• Individuals who experience severe headaches after drinking alcohol may also avoid alcohol altogether.
• Although any type of alcohol can trigger a migraine, people who experience regular migraine attacks cite red wine as the most frequent culprit.
• For instance, applying a cold compress to the forehead or taking a warm shower may provide some level of temporary relief by soothing tense muscles and promoting relaxation.
• Histamine, which may be responsible for triggering migraines, is found in far higher quantities in red wine than in white.

In the USA, 51% of adults consumed alcohol in the last year; additionally, 11% of those over 50 years old and 6% over 65 age reported the symptoms of alcohol abuse or dependence 21. In Europe, 60% of adults over 60 years of age are current drinkers, and 20% of these had higher levels of consumption than the general population 22. Statistically, males drink more alcohol than women and have more alcohol-related behavioral disorders 23. Drinking problems occur in every age, but in the 25–49 age group, alcohol has the highest impact on mortality caused by cancer deaths and also life disability 24, 25.

Patients often make this decision after experiencing a strong connection between alcohol and migraines firsthand. Mixed models obtain the differences between each individual effect and the population estimates, thus estimates from Table 4 can be adjusted to provide an individualized model for each user. Figure 1 shows the results of the predicted probabilities (median and 95% CI) of migraine attack for each of the 487 individuals. Variable alcohol intake had 10.6% missing values on day‐1 and 11.6% on day‐2; migraine on day‐2 was missing in 7.4%.

Alcohol-Induced Migraine vs. Delayed Alcohol-Induced Headache

“This is a self-selected population; it’s not necessarily reflective of the larger migraine population. Often patients who use the N1-Headache app are very motivated and are keen to identify their triggers,” he said. A total of 739 questionnaires were handed to students; 47 of them met the exclusion criteria, therefore 692 questionnaires were studied.