Wine and headaches: Uncovering the main reasons why wine gives you a headache.

Have you ever had a raging headache after indulging in just one or even two glasses of wine?  You’ve probably wondered how something as seemingly simple as drinking wine can cause you so much pain? Alcohol induced headaches are relatively common, with wine in particular being the main culprit.  Keep reading to find out the causes and how you can beat it.


Approximately one-third of headache and migraine sufferers will report their symptoms being triggered by the consumption of alcohol.


Its Friday evening and you reach for your favourite bottle of cabernet sauvignon, however, after just one glass your head starts pounding, you're in agony and regretting reaching for that wine, but boy did it taste good!  Sound familiar? It’s not fair is it! So what is it about wine that causes headaches?

Histamine - Histamine is often found in aged food and drinks and is created as a by-product of the fermentation process.  It’s usually much higher in red wines than white. Histamine mainly affects us by dilating the blood vessels and creating inflammation resulting in that pounding sensation often described by migraine sufferers.  

Tannins- Tannins are a plant chemical that gives red wine its pigment, bitterness and the dry feeling in your mouth, it also makes the wine last longer.  Tannins enlarge the blood vessels resulting in headaches. Tannins also stimulate the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which in high levels can cause headaches.

Tyramine - a naturally occurring amino acid which is another by-product of the fermentation process.  Tyramine causes an increase in blood flow. Sadly, as with histamine, consuming wine and cheese together can amplify the reaction. 


Tips for preventing a wine headache

Try drinking a dry white wine like a sauvignon blanc or a sparkling wine like prosecco, these are generally lower in histamine and sulphites thereby decreasing whole body inflammation.

Because every wine is created differently try experimenting with wines that come from different regions. Generally people find that wines from Italy, Bordeaux or Argentina cause them less headaches.  

Drink water in between each glass or sip of wine to avoid dehydration. This is key for anyone drinking alcohol!

Take an antihistamine before drinking wine to prevent blood vessel dilation.

Avoid sugary food while drinking wine.

Final note

There is plenty of research to suggest that moderate consumption of wine, particularly red wine may help people live longer, protects against certain cancers, improves mental health and enhances heart health.  So if you can't bear the thought of going without your favourite glass of wine then you're going to want to get to the root cause of your issues before that bottle ends up in the bin. 

In over 80% of people their headaches and migraines are the end result of dysfunction in the top three joints in the neck.  When the neck has been sitting in a dysfunctional position for long enough the nerves that exit the spine at that level become hypersensitized and start firing at a lower level resulting in nerve hypersensitivity and irritation, this makes you a headache or migraine just waiting to happen and causes the body to respond dramatically to triggers like wine and alcohol.
 
If this resonates with you and you want to find out more about what could be triggering your headaches and migraines then get in touch with us.  Here at Melbourne Headache Solutions we are passionate about helping people with their headaches and migraines. We are dedicated to finding out what the root cause of your problem is and helping you to find a way to get your symptoms under control so please get in touch!

Written by Dr Helen (Osteopath) who works in our Camberwell Clinic.