Hangover Headache: Treatment and Prevention

Make sure to avoid hydrating drinks that are heavy in sugar, as headache after drinking alcohol either low blood sugar or high blood sugar can make a hangover headache worse. As mentioned above, B vitamins such as B6 and B12 can also be helpful after drinking, and pain medication should be used sparingly and with caution. While numerous chemicals-related factors can trigger a headache after drinking alcohol, stress can also be a possible cause.

Why Does Alcohol Cause Headaches and Migraines?

• However, it’s possible to have a migraine headache without having had a beer or a glass of wine.
• One of the main problems facing those who struggle with alcohol is the alcohol-induced headache.

Hangover headaches are a specific kind of headache that comes as a result of drinking alcohol. This is worth mentioning because not all headaches result from alcoholic beverages. Alcohol can trigger headaches including tension and cluster headaches, as well as migraine headaches.

Congeners

You could get a headache within 30 minutes to 3 hours of drinking. Some people only sip a glass or two of wine before their head starts to throb. Hangovers vary in severity and symptoms from person to person and episode to episode. In addition, some people may be born with a genetic predisposition to developing worse hangovers than others.

Tips for Telling People You’re in Recovery

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. Are you tired of waking up with a throbbing headache or a migraine attack after a night of drinking? Even people who are not prone to headaches can find themselves with hangover headaches, and about one-third of patients with migraine note alcohol as drug addiction treatment a trigger for their attacks. Some people have a headache a few hours after drinking wine — especially red wine. But it’s different from a hangover, which may or may not include a headache.

When to contact a doctor

Migraines in general have been linked to variations in genes, especially those that regulate blood flow to the brain. 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. Tannin, a component in red wine, has been long considered the culprit. Alcoholic neuropathy damages the nerves due to prolonged and excessive alcohol consumption.

• In addition, if you are prone to migraine headaches, then there is a high chance that you will have headaches after driving alcohol.
• Alcohol can cause many health problems, but one of the most common and less severe is the alcohol-induced headache.
• The number of drinks you have, what you are drinking, and what’s going on in your life may be the primary culprits, rather than alcohol itself.
• Aside from this, there is some evidence to show that drinks that have been through an ageing process are liable to cause more reactions within the body.
• Migraines are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and visual changes such as seeing spots and flashing lights.

Dehydration

According to research also, women are more likely to experience headaches than mean after drinking alcoholic beverages. Many migraine sufferers find keeping a simple diary helps them to understand their triggers and migraine headaches much better. If you notice that alcohol results in migraine headaches, you may decide it’s best to stop consuming alcohol altogether. We’ll look at some of the worst alcoholic drinks you can drink when it comes to headaches and why wine is a particularly bad culprit. If you experience migraine headaches after drinking alcohol, it may be best to avoid alcohol.

How to avoid or treat alcohol-related headaches

• Alcohol’s exact role in triggering a migraine isn’t fully known.
• The headaches often occur along with other symptoms related to drinking alcoholic beverages.
• Furthermore, this study found that there was a decreased likelihood of an attack 24 to 48 hours after consumption.
• As mentioned above, B vitamins such as B6 and B12 can also be helpful after drinking, and pain medication should be used sparingly and with caution.
• Alcohol-induced headaches are extremely common and can be caused by a variety of factors.
• Drinking alcohol causes several changes in the body’s physiology.

When hangxiety strikes, self-compassion becomes your most powerful tool. Remember that those feelings of guilt and shame are temporary and often amplified by your body’s physical state. Instead of beating yourself up, focus on gentle self-care practices that can help both your body and mind recover. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test is used by medical professionals to diagnose signs of AUD.

Unfortunately, some may notice that their headache takes a little longer to go away, this could be up to 72 hours. As we have discovered from looking at the types of alcohol-induced headaches, you may experience one from as little as three hours after drinking alcohol. As you drink alcohol, your stomach absorbs about 20 percent of this ethanol while your small intestine absorbs the rest. From the small intestine, ethanol travels into the bloodstream and throughout your body, including your brain. While some people try to prevent headaches by taking over-the-counter pain medications before drinking, this can be dangerous. When you take a drug such as Tylenol while drinking, there is a potential for severe side effects, including liver damage.

• These headaches make your head feel like someone is pounding on it like a drum.
• But other drinks like sparkling wine, beer, and hard liquor may be just as likely, if not more, to cause problems.
• If alcohol is a headache trigger for you, think before you drink.
• So while drinking water in between drinks and before bed is a good idea, it won’t actually replenish your depleted mineral stores.
• Migraine typically begins slowly and may increase in severity if left untreated.

While there is no magical alcohol that doesn’t cause headaches when consumed in excess, alcohol does vary tremendously from manufacturer to manufacturer. Top-shelf brands not only taste better but may also be less likely to prove a migraine trigger. I caution patients to order a specific brand of alcohol when ordering a cocktail rather than relying on well drinks or lower-quality brands. For most people, a hangover headache will last no more than 24 hours, with many people finding that a good night’s sleep and plenty of water can relieve their symptoms completely.

At Monument, you can speak with a specialized physician, like myself, to get personalized information and care. Congeners are minor compounds that occur in alcoholic beverages as a natural result of distilling and fermenting. Congeners are primarily found in darker liquors https://ecosoberhouse.com/ like brandy, whiskey, and wine. There are exceptions to this rule, however, such as tequila—a light-colored liquor that nevertheless carries high levels of congeners.