Many people have experienced a headache after drinking alcohol — especially after drinking too much. While headaches are generally recognized as a side effect of alcohol in many people, their reputation as a migraine headache trigger may be overestimated.
Alcohol is identified as an occasional trigger in about a third of people who experience migraine headaches, but it’s only a consistent trigger in about 10 percent of migraine sufferers.
Relationship between alcohol and migraine headaches
There are many things that can trigger migraine headaches — stress, lights, smells, and even certain foods and drinks. Some examples of food and drinks that can trigger migraine headaches include:
- caffeine
- chocolate
- fermented foods
- cured meats
- tyramine-rich food and drink
- salty foods
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Types of headaches associated with alcohol
When investigating what’s triggering your headaches, it’s important to know exactly what kind of headache you’re experiencing. Alcoholic drinks are usually associated with certain types of headaches like:
- migraine without aura
- migraine with aura
- cluster headache
- tension headache
While people who have these headaches report a connection to alcohol, there’s no real consistency in how alcohol causes these headaches to develop, according to studies that have been done. Instead, researchers suggest that alcohol as a trigger is more of a personal reaction — common in certain types of headaches — than a general effect.
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.
How soon after drinking alcohol will a migraine headache occur?
Alcohol has different effects on the body depending on when you drink it. These are called immediate and delayed alcohol-induced headaches.
Early effects of alcohol can dull sensations and have an analgesic effect, but as alcohol leaves the body it can have the opposite effect and actually increase sensitivity to pain. Some studies have reported that alcohol can trigger a migraine headache in people who are sensitive to it in as little as 30 minutes — or it could take 3 hours.
Headaches from alcohol withdrawal — also known as delayed alcohol-induced headaches (DAIH) or hangovers — usually develop the morning after you drink alcohol, when the level of alcohol in your blood drops to almost nothing.
About two-thirds of people who drink alcohol develop these headaches. People who suffer from migraine are more prone to these reactions — even after drinking less alcohol than people who don’t get migraine headaches.
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How can you prevent getting a migraine headache from alcohol?
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.
Because alcohol use is frequently associated with stress, it’s important to keep a diary of:
- what you’re drinking
- how much you’re drinking
- what else happened that day (such as stress, lack of sleep)
- how often do you develop headaches after drinking this type of alcohol
If you notice consistent patterns, then chances are it’s the alcohol that’s causing your migraine headache.
Without a consistent cause-and-effect situation, though, it could be a number of factors — not just alcohol — that is triggering your migraine headache. If you do notice a pattern, especially with particular types of alcohol over others, you may choose to avoid the offending drinks.
There are also steps you can take to avoid developing a delayed alcohol-induced headache. These include:
- drinking in moderation
- sipping your drink slowly
- alternating your alcoholic drink with non-alcoholic drinks
- mixing your drinks with fruit or vegetable juices
- eating 2 tablespoons of honey before drinking
- eating greasy foods before you drink to slow the absorption of alcohol
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What’s the best way to treat a migraine headache from alcohol?
If you’ve identified alcohol as a trigger for your migraine headaches, avoiding it altogether is probably best. The same is true if you find that some types of alcohol trigger your migraine headaches more than others. Avoiding migraine triggers is one of the only surefire ways to avoid migraine symptoms.
If you do develop a migraine headache while drinking alcohol, or immediately after, you can try the following techniques to relieve your symptoms:
- use medication that may be prescribed to you to treat migraine headaches
- try over-the-counter pain and headache relief
- relax or sleep in a darkened room
- cold compresses
- acupuncture
- oils like lavender and peppermint may help reduce migraine symptoms
- consider meditation, yoga, or massage
For delayed headaches, or hangovers, you can try:
- drinking tomato juice
- drink fluids with minerals and salts
- try sports drinks
- drink coffee right away or another drink with caffeine
- consider ibuprofen over other over-the-counter medications for pain relief
