A 2014 survey of 692 students, 95 of whom had migraine, found that those with migraine were more likely to experience migraine-like symptoms during a hangover. Of the 1,547 participants, 783 said that alcohol was a trigger, and 195 were not sure. Although genetic factors influence the risk of having migraine, environmental triggers can cause episodes or increase their frequency. Treatment options vary, from acute treatment to relieve symptoms to preventive treatment to reduce the number of attacks you experience.
Does alcohol trigger a headache?
- This compound might inhibit the body’s ability to break down alcohol, leading to the buildup of a substance called acetaldehyde, which could result in headaches.
- While data on MO and CH are well delineated, those in MA and TH are discordant.
- But even simple muscle tension from poor posture, sitting in front of a computer or driving a car can be a cause.
- A person should try keeping a migraine diary for a few weeks or months to observe trends in their headache patterns.
- However, if you already have a headache, it is a good idea to stop drinking.
Criteria to recognize habits for alcohol consumption was various in almost each study. Some of them assessed the drinking by daily alcohol intake 44, 45, 47, 48, 55, 58, 59, 62, part of them measured drinking within one week 44, 47, 51, 53, 60, 61 or month 36, 44, 47, 49, 51. Additionally, there were cases 56, 57 where division was based on never, current or past drinking. More accurate calculation with amount and various types of alcohol was also conducted in studies 26, 27, 45, 54.
Cluster headache
Combine the added stress of quitting drinking with the other neurological https://ecosoberhouse.com/ causes of headaches during alcohol withdrawal and the severity and frequency of headaches can easily become unbearable. Stress triggers the release of cortisol and other stress hormones, which can contribute to headaches by affecting blood pressure and causing tension in the muscles surrounding the skull. When someone has been drinking regularly and chooses to quit, alcohol withdrawal can result in a series of uncomfortable symptoms, and some of them can put a person’s health at risk. Experts suggest you should seek the help of a doctor or treatment center to detox safely. Changes in your daily routine can be behind many common migraine triggers. For example, changing sleep patterns, peaks and troughs of stress and even otherwise pleasant changes, such as a holiday, can also lead to an attack.
Long-term effects
It’s important to work with your obstetrician and your headache doctor when you have migraine to establish a safe treatment plan. If you’re not already working with a headache doctor, use our Find can alcohol cause migraines a Doctor tool to find someone in your area. Plan to discuss the FDA’s safety guide for medication use during pregnancy. The American Migraine Foundation is committed to improving the lives of those living with this debilitating disease.
- Though there’s evidence that certain foods can bring on attacks, more high-quality research is needed to confirm these links.
- It’s important to stay updated on the latest migraine research and treatment strategies.
- In fact, many headache sufferers abstain from alcohol or consume less than the general population.
- It may also help eliminate triggers that tend to co-occur with drinking, such as dehydration and sleep deprivation.
Is alcohol a migraine trigger?
This data suggests that there may be a misperception that drinks containing alcohol cause migraine attacks. 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. This indicates that people with migraine and other headache diseases may be more likely to give up alcohol because they perceive it as a possible migraine trigger. If you experience migraine headaches after drinking alcohol, it may be best to avoid alcohol. Talk with a doctor about ways to identify your migraine triggers and what to do if you develop these headaches. In a 2018 study involving 2,197 people with migraine, 25% of the participants who stopped or always avoided drinking did so because alcohol triggered migraine attacks.
- Find out more with our factsheets on Menstrual migraine and Migraine and contraception.
- Imagine that you have a ‘migraine threshold’, tolerating potential migraine triggers without an attack until a certain threshold is crossed, which might involve several factors at once.
- Of that 10 million, it is predicted that about 40% will experience serious symptoms of alcohol withdrawal if they choose to quit drinking.
- Headaches will often develop during alcohol withdrawal as a result of neurochemical changes.
- This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.
Other histamine-laden foods may also be triggers
In general, the more alcohol a person drinks, the more likely it becomes that alcohol will damage the brain — both in the short and long term. The higher a person’s blood alcohol concentration, the higher their risk of alcohol overdose. The heavy consumption of high-alcohol drinks is more likely to cause alcohol poisoning. People who have smaller bodies, drink alcohol less frequently, or have a history of liver disease are also more vulnerable to alcohol poisoning.
