Drink responsibly to have fun without causing danger to yourself or those around you. There isn’t a lot of research on the relationship between tension headaches and other conditions. However, some evidence points to other conditions that can co-occur alongside primary headache disorder, including tension headaches. A tension headache is a primary headache disorder and the most common type of headache that people experience.
How does alcohol affect the brain and the rest of the body?
- If you want to avoid a hangover headache, the best thing you can do is think before you drink.
- They involve throbbing pain that generally occurs on one side of the head.
- Please see your healthcare provider if you are concerned about your alcohol use.
- Drugs for high blood pressure, seizures and depression can sometimes prevent migraines.
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]. The type of alcohol does not seem to affect whether a person gets a headache. While red wine has been described as a dominant trigger of migraines and cluster headaches, white wine, champagne, sparkling wines, and beer have also been linked to headaches. To define this important issue, we have reviewed alcohol as a trigger of primary headaches and discussed the possible correlation of the results with the principal pathogenetic theories of the primary headaches.
Why Do I Get a Headache After Drinking a Small Amount of Alcohol?
Another thing that remains unclear is whether the type of alcohol you drink determines whether or not you will get a migraine headache. Some studies found that red wine is a main trigger in migraine with aura and cluster type migraine, but they also note that all alcohol could have the same effect. Vasodilation may trigger migraine attacks in certain individuals.
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Learn up-to-date facts and statistics on alcohol consumption and its impact in the United States and globally. Explore topics related to alcohol misuse and treatment, underage drinking, the effects of alcohol on the human body, and more. Like all primary headache disorders, the goals of treatment are to improve symptoms when you are actively experiencing an episode and reduce the number of future headache episodes. One of the most crucial aspects of treating primary headaches is figuring out your triggers.
- 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.
- We do not know for sure, though, how any specific type of alcoholic beverage will affect people with migraine.
- Meanwhile, 2020 research showed that 95% of participants experienced alcohol-induced headaches.
- Many people have experienced a headache after drinking alcohol — especially after drinking too much.
- Vitamin B6 is an essential nutrient that’s found in all sorts of common foods, such as poultry, potatoes, and fruit.
It’s important to diagnose headaches correctly so your provider can prescribe specific therapy to help you feel better. Your provider will complete a physical examination, discuss your medical history and talk to you about your headache symptoms. This article explains why hangover headaches occur, especially in people with underlying migraine disorders. It presents some home remedies to treat your headache until the hangover passes. Hangover headaches, with their throbbing pain at the temples and their tendency to get worse when you move, can only reliably be cured with time as your body processes the alcohol.
People who drink alcohol regularly, or those who are taking certain specific medications that affect liver enzymes, may metabolize alcohol more quickly, having fewer problems with intoxication and hangover as a result. Conversely, there are many medications that interfere with the breakdown of alcohol and acetaldehyde, worsening the consequences of drinking. A thin, Japanese teetotaling woman taking prescription painkillers will clearly have more problems with a few drinks than a 250 pound linebacker who regularly drinks four beers a night.
What Are the Symptoms?
However, when combined with alcohol they might increase the risk of stomach bleeding. Gatorade or other fitness drinks may be better than water alone, but there is no scientific proof. A chemical called N-acetyl-cysteine may be useful in detoxifying the body from acetaldehyde buildup, but this too is an unproven treatment. alcohol and headaches Like so many other answers to science questions, “it depends.” Body weight and gender are very important factors. While five to eight drinks for the average man, and three to five drinks for the average woman, are enough to cause some degree of hangover, specific effects will vary greatly between individuals.
