5 Reasons You Get Headache Every Time You Drink

You may be one of those persons who suffer from a headache after drinking. To correct your condition, it is important to understand a few things first. You need to know that alcohol is a vasodilator, which means drinking a few pegs will make your blood vessels to expand. That's mainly the reason why your face becomes red when you drink. The same process happens to your blood vessels in the brain dilate when you have a migraine attack. It means that if you're already a migraine sufferer, drinking will worsen your condition.

Tannins

Why: Seeds, grape skins, and stems contain compounds called tannins, which usually don't cause any headaches in most people. It may sometimes be the cause of concern, especially if you're getting headaches when you drink red wine

What to Do: You first need is to ensure that your headache is due to tannins. Simply brew a cup of black tea and let it steep for five or ten minutes longer as the package suggests. Drink it. If you notice headaches, simply stop drinking red wines and you will be just fine.

Sugar

Why: The combination of sugar and alcohol makes your body ask for more water to process the substances. If you don't drink water, this will lead to dehydration that will cause headache.

What to Do: You should avoid white wines and sweet dessert wines. Also, say no to cheaper wines because they will have more sugar. These mass producers have to add more sugar during fermentation to boost the alcohol. Drinking that would add more sugar to your system and lead to dehydration. Avoid it or you will keep saying, "Every time I drink I get a headache".

Histamines

Why: Red wines may cause your body to release histamines because they have been aged. These histamines will cause symptoms such as dry eyes, a runny nose, and a headache.

What to Do: If you experience headaches while drinking because your body starts producing histamines, you may consider taking a histamine blocker prior to going to a party where you would taste red wine.

Other Substances

Dehydration, histamines, and tannins are among the causes of why you experience headaches when you drink, but there are many other substances in alcohol you can hold responsible for your condition. For instance:

• Amino Acid Tyramine: Most alcoholic beverages contain amino acid tyramine that may be the underlying cause of your headaches. This happens only if you're sensitive to this substance and may trigger cluster headaches and migraine. It's usually present in champagne and red wine, as well as certain dark alcoholic beverages, such as beer, scotch, and bourbon.

• Congener: Some alcoholic beverages contain certain chemicals, and congener is one of them. It can cause headaches in some individuals because it often changes your body's natural chemical composition. If that's the case, you should avoid hard liquors, especially darker liquors because they contain more congeners as compared to other options.