Strictly speaking, the head can hurt from any alcohol, it depends on how much you drink. But red wine causes headaches more often, although it is considered beneficial in small doses. What's wrong with red wine?
We have strained ourselves here, experimented and finally found out what causes headaches after drinking red wine, and most importantly, how this can be avoided.
Advanced lovers and beginners approach the choice of wine in different ways.
Some have enough of their own experience and intuition, but someone has to be guided by reviews from the forums or seek help from professionals.
However, both of them are driven by the same motivation - not to make a mistake in choosing and not to be disappointed in the purchased drink.
More than once, many have come across a situation where the impression of a pair of glasses of a seemingly good red was thoroughly spoiled by a sudden headache.
After such a tasting, the thought that, under the guise of wine, they slipped some kind of cheap liquor into your head, probably flashed through your head.
But do not rush to draw conclusions, perhaps this particular wine just does not suit you. We found out what causes headaches after drinking red wine and how to avoid it.
Chemistry all around!
Sulfur dioxide is always present in wine in one quantity or another. A number of researchers are inclined to believe that it is sulfur dioxide that causes a headache after drinking red wine.
It can get into the drink in several ways: when winemakers deliberately use it, spraying vineyards to combat harmful fungi, and treating winery equipment with it, or naturally through the root system of the vine from the soil and during the fermentation process from yeast.
In some countries, such as the USA, the content of sulfur dioxide must be indicated on the packaging.
But if the label does not contain any information about it, this does not mean that it is not in the wine.
Such a different sulfur
So, in “biodynamic” wines, it is much less, and it can get into the wine only when processing barrels or when bottling the wine into bottles.
Less sulphide also contains "organic" wines. Such wine is certified and receives the corresponding logo on the label.
In addition, producers of both "biodynamic" and "organic" wines use elemental sulfur rather than petrochemical-based sulfur.
So white or red?
However, there is one significant flaw in this scientific theory: white wine contains more sulfites, which means that the head should also hurt from it, but usually it is red that is the culprit of the headache.
Recent studies show that it is not so much aldehyde sulphide that is to blame for headaches, but histamine, which reacts with alcohol.
The substance is found in the skin of grapes. Red is left to ferment along with the skin, due to which the histamine content in red is higher than in white.
Thickness is to blame
Long-term observations of the winemakers themselves allowed them to draw their own conclusion and suggest that the thickness of the skin of the grapes can affect the headache.
Thicker-skinned grapes take longer to ripen, and the concentration of histamine in wine made from these grapes may be higher.
To avoid headaches, avoid wines made from thick-skinned grapes like zinfandel, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon.
Instead, favor wines made from thin-skinned grapes such as Pinot Noir and Merlot.
Open question
While scientists continue to argue about the causes of headaches after drinking red wine, we can only slightly adjust the rules for choosing red.
To avoid undesirable consequences, it is worth paying attention to "biodynamic" and organic wines, and when choosing between them, be guided by the fact that wines made from thin-skinned grapes will cause less problems.
Navigation
Situations when after wine a headache is not uncommon. They give rise to disputes about useful and harmful properties products. According to recent studies, the negative effects of alcohol on the body are so great that all the positive aspects become insignificant. This applies even to elite drinks made from high-quality grapes. If there is no desire to completely abandon white or red wine, you should at least study the rules for choosing it, especially the use. This will reduce the risk of headaches, as well as other discomfort.
Why wine makes my head hurt
According to statistics, in most cases, cephalalgia occurs in lovers of red drinks. This is due to the special composition of the products, the presence of histamine in them. The substance is contained in the peel of the berries, it turns into a liquid during the fermentation of the blanks. There are a number of other factors that can lead to a symptom, regardless of the color of the product.
The risk of headaches after drinking wine is increased by the presence of the preservative sulfite in drinks. Amine can have a negative effect on the body. It provokes spasms of the walls of blood vessels, causing pain in the cranium. Another irritant is sulfur dioxide, which is used in the process of growing grapes to protect them from pests. With a tendency to cephalalgia, when choosing a drink, preference should be given to proposals without the listed components in the composition.
Lack of measure
The cause of headaches is often excessive alcohol consumption. Despite the relatively low degree, the wine remains a strong liquor. It creates an excessive load on the liver, the body ceases to cope with its functions. There is a decrease in blood glucose levels, the brain begins to experience nutritional deficiencies. Its cells die massively, which is accompanied by cephalalgia.
Wine, like any other alcohol, leads to dehydration due to increased urination. The rapid drop in the volume of water in the cells leads to irritation of neurons, spasm of the blood channels. The brain tries to collect all the moisture available to it in order to maintain its activity. Its tissues swell, which causes an increase in intracranial pressure. Such processes repeatedly increase the headache.
Poor quality raw materials
Wines can vary significantly in terms of quality. Not required to purchase 
elite varieties of the product, it is enough to do this in trusted stores with a good reputation. An important point is also the experience of the manufacturer of alcohol, reviews of its products. Do not get hung up on the price - it does not always correspond to the contents of the bottle. Also, contrary to popular belief, the age of the product should not be a determining factor. Young wines are much healthier for the body, you just need to find your variety.
If your head hurts from drinking wine, the problem may be in the expired product, a violation of the rules for its storage. Unpleasant taste, sour smell, the appearance of a suspicious sediment should alert. After getting such liquids into the body, you can get serious food poisoning, and not just a headache.
alcohol intolerance
Cephalgia as a result of drinking wine can be a manifestation of intolerance to the product. In the case of an allergy, a headache occurs shortly after the irritant enters the body. It increases in direct proportion to the volume of alcohol taken, and is removed by antihistamines.
Each person is individual. Someone does not tolerate only young or, conversely, aged drinks. Some react negatively exclusively to this type of alcohol, while other types of alcohol do not cause them a negative reaction. It is customary to include individuals with a history of migraine or cluster cephalgia in the risk group.
Red wines cause a negative reaction of the body more often than pink or white drinks.
Individual intolerance of the body
The negative reaction of the body to the use of wine is not always the result of its intolerance. Often it all depends on the characteristics of the product, its composition.
A headache after alcohol is most often complained of by people with an overt or hidden allergy to grapes. Moreover, not all berries necessarily cause a violent reaction, but only their red or white variety.
Sometimes even the problem turns out to be in a particular variety. Another cephalalgia is a response to the ingestion of preservatives, chemical sweeteners, enzymes.
How to avoid wine headaches
Often people who get headaches from red or white wine simply do not know how to drink these drinks. Ideally, they are recommended to be excluded from your diet altogether. If the refusal of alcohol is not included in the plans, you need to adopt a number of recommendations. Their implementation will reduce the negative impact of alcohol on the body, prevent the appearance of unpleasant sensations.
Rules, the observance of which will protect against a headache after wine:
- do not drink alcohol every day;
- drink each glass of drink with a glass of clean drinking water without gas;
- do not mix wine with other alcohol;
- limited to two glasses of drink per week;
- do not drink wine on an empty stomach, eat enough fatty foods;
- drink a couple of Ibuprofen or Aspirin tablets before the party, but only if the recommended dosages are observed;
- do not eat sweet wine, this will only increase the severity of the headache. Dessert can be eaten no earlier than 30-40 minutes after the last glass drunk.
The market offers a wide variety of wine products. Some of them have only a theoretical relation to real wine. Such liquids are highly recommended not to be consumed in any quantities. They can affect the body in the most unexpected way.
Treatment Methods
If you have a headache after drinking wine, you should not resort to the use of hangover remedies. If there is no nausea, dizziness, weakness and intense thirst, it is better to try other methods.
Ways to deal with such cephalalgia:
- take an anesthetic medicine - "Citramon", "Aspirin", "Paracetamol";
- if the condition resembles an allergic reaction, it is worth drinking an antihistamine;
- apply a warm compress to the sore spot - this will relieve vasospasm;
- take a warm bath;
- drink a decoction of chamomile, mint or lemon balm;
- drink a glass of water with lemon juice or eat an orange.
Persistence of headache after the above manipulations can be an alarming sign. It is better not to engage in experiments, but to seek help from a doctor. Sometimes cephalgia turns out to be unrelated to wine. In some cases, such a reaction to alcohol, on the contrary, makes it possible to reveal a latent pathology.
Wine and hangover
If the cause of the headache is still an ordinary hangover, classical therapy will help, aimed at combating alcohol poisoning. It must be started as early as possible. Then the negative consequences for the body will be minimized, and the patient will quickly feel relief.
Approaches that will improve the condition the day after the party:
- drinking large amounts of liquid. It is better if it is drinking water with the addition of lemon juice or unsweetened dried fruit compote;
- in addition, you should drink a few glasses of fresh fruit juice (only semi-finished product not packaged in boxes). Citruses, pomegranates, apples are ideal;
- you can eat a couple of teaspoons of honey to speed up the processing of alcohol;
- with severe nausea, breakfast should be limited chicken broth. If such a symptom is absent, then you need to eat tightly;
- contrast shower without sudden changes in temperature;
- access to fresh air - it can be a walk or airing the room;
- if possible, after the manipulations, you should sleep for several hours. If this option is excluded, then a light physical workout will bring relief.
In addition to all this, you should drink activated charcoal. The dose is selected individually at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. Special preparations against a hangover are recommended to be taken after drinking alcohol before going to bed or immediately after waking up. A few hours after the onset of symptoms, they will no longer help in full.
The violent reaction of the body to alcohol should not be ignored. If your head hurts from quality wine consumed in small quantities, you should check your health. Such consequences may indicate problems with blood vessels, drops blood pressure, allergic status, migraine, tumors or other brain lesions.
Wine is different from all other alcoholic beverages. It is impossible to just drink it - you need to enjoy it, savor its taste and aftertaste.
No one can call vodka or beer exquisite drinks. But, despite everything written above, even wine has a significant drawback - headaches after drinking it.
It is worth considering in more detail why the head hurts from wine, and what to do in such a situation.
Causes of pain in the head
Often people notice pain in the head after drinking wine. Undoubtedly, the head can hurt after any alcoholic drinks, but one rarely expects such symptoms from wine - a natural, refined and tasty product.
So why is this happening? Experts identify several main causes that can provoke headaches.
Let's look at them in more detail:
- A large amount of alcohol drunk. Almost every person has experienced hangover symptoms after a fun feast. But for some individuals, this phenomenon becomes the norm, and therefore their head hurts constantly.
- Poor quality wine drunk on the eve of a headache. This includes wines that are past their expiration date. It may seem to some that the drink in question cannot have an expiration date, because, on the contrary, the “older” the wine, the tastier it is. But this statement does not apply to cheap wines. Therefore, if the drink is made on industrial production, it is better to carefully study the date of its manufacture, so that later you do not wonder why the head hurts from wine.
- Poor quality raw material used in the production of red wine. As mentioned above, when buying cheap wines, you do not need to count on something extraordinary. Not surprisingly, after using them, a person has a headache. Of course, it is not a fact that a truly original drink is hidden under an expensive label. Therefore, it is recommended to give preference only to proven trademarks wines that use exclusively high-quality raw materials.
- An allergic reaction or individual intolerance to wine by the body of a particular person. This is due to the fact that the body does not tolerate any component used during the preparation of wine or a wine drink. In this case, headache symptoms are not uncommon.
The most common allergy or intolerance concerns different varieties grapes. In addition, an allergic reaction may occur to the fermentation process itself.
Very often, a person is faced with the fact that his head hurts only after drinking red wine.
Why is there such a phenomenon? The explanation for this is very simple: red wines contain sulfites, which are used as preservatives at the winery, and amines, which can provoke spasms in the vessels of the brain.
In the case of the use of such substances, the manufacturer is obliged to notify the consumer about this using the appropriate inscription on the wine label.
If a person knows that he does not tolerate such components, then he needs to completely abandon the use of red wines.
How to relieve headache
If it was not possible to avoid a headache after wine, then what to do? Experts suggest using one of the proven ways to deal with the fact that the head hurts.
They are:
- Vitamin C intake. For headaches, you can use both a soluble tablet and natural product- eat an orange, lemon, grapefruit, Bell pepper or fresh cabbage.
- It is recommended to have a hearty breakfast with fatty and satisfying food. It can be scrambled eggs with a piece of bacon or cheese.
- Replenishment of the missing body fluid. Drinking alcohol can cause dehydration, which negatively affects the entire body. In addition, it is it that disrupts the blood circulation process and leads to the fact that a person has a headache after red wine.
- Performing physical exercises that can alleviate the condition by establishing a disturbed circulatory process.
- One of the most effective and simple recipes from a headache after wine, you can safely call a pickle.
- Taking aspirin and taking a contrast shower is ideal for headaches.
When a person does not believe in folk remedies getting rid of pain, he can use medications that can be purchased at any pharmacy.
Medications to relieve headaches
It often happens that one headache pill is not enough, so people take one medicine after another.
It is very important to ensure that the drugs are different, because an overdose can occur.
To quickly cope with pain, you should stock up on several means. They can be:
- Vitamin C in soluble tablets.
- Acetylsalicylic acid. It should be noted here that such a remedy should not be used by people with problems of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Aquacitramon is a drug that can be taken only 24 hours after drinking wine.
- Sorbeks - tablets that relieve the symptoms of intoxication of the body. Just a couple of capsules are enough and the symptoms in question will gradually disappear.
- No-shpa is an ideal remedy for the development of migraine. This drug quickly relaxes the blood vessels and the person no longer has a headache.
- Magnesia is a substance that restores normal functioning nervous system.
- Ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate is a drug that fights well with pain in the head. The medicine normalizes blood flow.
If a person has a severe headache, and before that wine was drunk, then excessive use of medications can only aggravate the situation.
In no case should you treat a “hangover” with another dose of alcohol. Which one exactly? Yes, anyone.
Even wine will provoke another wave of intoxication of the body and can bring a person to treatment in a hospital.
In the event that all the above methods and means have been tried, and the head continues to hurt, it is better to seek the help of a qualified specialist and undergo a proper examination.
The doctor will identify the true cause of the symptoms that have arisen and prescribe an adequate treatment that will quickly restore the body after a fun feast.
Useful video
People who periodically abuse alcohol suffer from headaches in the morning. Such an unpleasant symptom can be significantly aggravated when a person drinks vodka or wine too often, and also interferes with various alcoholic drinks. As a result, the headache may last for several days.
Causes of severe headache
Many people wonder why their head hurts after alcohol and what to do? Alcohol intolerance is recognized as the main cause of this symptom. In this case, when drinking wine or vodka, at first the head begins to hurt or spin slightly, then reddening of the skin is observed, as well as nasal congestion. This occurs because the liver is unable to break down alcohol. Accordingly, various liver diseases can be the cause of a hangover headache.
Alcohol has a diuretic effect. According to numerous studies, it has become known that every 10 ml of alcohol removes about 100 ml of fluid from the body. From this it follows that during drinking there is severe dehydration, and the concentration of potassium and sodium decreases. This electrolyte imbalance often causes headaches.
This symptom is a reaction to intoxication, that is, poisoning of the body with ethyl alcohol. Alcohol does not provide enough oxygen to the brain. This provokes cell death, to which the human body reacts by increasing intracranial pressure. Therefore, this reaction causes pain.
After drinking, sometimes there are cluster pains. A certain drink leads to them. For example, after 300 ml of vodka you feel good, and after 3 glasses of wine your head starts to split and spin.
What to do to remove a headache?
If your head hurts a lot in the morning, you should try a few simple ways:
- Drink weak black tea and water. 1 effervescent tablet of ascorbic acid can be added to the liquid. This will help eliminate dehydration and alleviate the condition.
- Take a cool shower. He will invigorate and give strength.
- If the pain is unbearable, take pain medication. But still, it is better to do without it, because the liver is already overloaded with the removal of alcohol.
- If your head is not spinning, but just a little sore, get out into the fresh air.
- Snack on yogurt or fruit. Chicken broth will help to give strength and relieve the condition.
- With a slight hangover, acupuncture and gentle massage are recognized as effective.
In the case when the head is spinning, as well as vomiting and severe reddening of the skin, the mentioned methods may not be effective. In this situation, you should call a doctor, and not think about what to do.
Popular folk remedies
If your head breaks after wine, you can try several folk recipes:
- Drink in the morning after drinking cucumber pickle or eat sauerkraut. Also, with a hangover, honey is effective, because the fructose contained in it accelerates the breakdown of alcohol.
- After drinking wine, you can chew willow bark. It contains sicilate, which is a natural analogue of aspirin.
- Do cold compresses that constrict blood vessels.
- With a mild hangover, mint drops will help get rid of a headache. For 1 st. 20 drops of water is enough.
- Some people rub essential oil into their whiskey after drinking. It can be rosemary, mint or lavender. Such a simple tool greatly facilitates the condition.
- If after the wine it immediately became bad, you can take succinic acid. This substance neutralizes ethanol, which helps to avoid unpleasant hangover symptoms.
- The desired relief is often brought by a lemon peel applied to the temples.
- After a hangover, you can cook a salad "Metelka". To do this, mix sauerkraut with grated carrots and a little brine. Such a tool contributes to a faster removal of decay products.
Preventive measures
To prevent a painful hangover after a few glasses of wine, you need to prepare in advance for the feast and know a few important nuances.
- Before drinking, you should drink a few tablets of coal and eat well.
- During the feast, you should drink only high-quality alcohol, which does not contain any synthetic additives.
- Do not mix several different alcoholic drinks.
- It is known that light alcohol does not cause such painful symptoms as dark alcohol. Therefore, it is better to drink white wine, vodka or light beer.
- It is important to eat well. Thanks to food, alcohol will be absorbed more slowly, which will help to avoid migraines and exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases.
- If tea, coffee or juice is offered during the feast, do not refuse.
- It is worth giving up smoking or reducing the number of cigarettes, because they often lead to an increase in hangover symptoms.
Headache is often observed after alcohol abuse. If you have a migraine against this background, drink more water and take a walk in the fresh air. You can also try folk remedies, namely essential oils, pickle or compress. This will help to get rid of pain and normalize the condition.
Nowadays, some people complain that they have a headache from house wine. As you know, such symptoms are often observed after taking any kind of alcohol. But in the case of wines, this is strange, because most often this reaction is caused by stronger drinks.
In this regard, many are interested in why a headache can occur after drinking this kind of drink? And are there ways to alleviate this condition the day after drinking alcohol? In order to find out in detail the nuances, it is necessary to understand the causes of pain that occurs after drinking wine.
Among the causative factors that can cause headaches and dizziness after drinking wine, a fairly large dose of the drink can be put in the first place. In this situation, wine or any other alcohol is almost one hundred percent lead to a person's hangover.
Many complain of the appearance of pain after taking red varieties. Why is this happening and why do people get headaches from wine? There are logical explanations for this fact.
Any red variety contains a compound such as sulfite, which is used by manufacturers as a preservative. In addition, it contains amine. This substance leads to problems in the cardiovascular system, namely to spasms in the vessels.
Typically, each manufacturer indicates the presence of such components on the labels. When a consumer is allergic to sulfite and amine, and, along with this, a headache after red wine, doctors recommend refraining from taking it.
Among other things, in red wines in various volumes, the presence of sulphide. Some experts argue that sulfur dioxide itself causes pain in the head after drinking the above alcoholic beverage. 
This substance enters the wine due to its deliberate use by winemakers, who spray vineyards to eliminate pathogenic fungi, and also treat equipment with sulphurous aldehyde.
In a number of countries (for example, in the USA), the presence of such a compound must be indicated on the label without fail. But if there is no information on the content of a harmful substance on the packaging, you should not assume that it is not there at all.
Today, there are also often cases when people do not have individual intolerance to the components of wine, and the amount of alcohol they drink is not higher than the norm, but even under such circumstances, in the morning they are tormented by pain in the head area. In the vast majority of situations, a person can feel dizzy from semi-sweet, sweet or dry wines for the following reasons:
- low-quality raw materials used for the preparation of the aforementioned drink;
- expired (only homemade and selected wines improve their taste qualities as several years pass, and the cheap one has a limited shelf life);
- poor conditions of detention, which lead to both alcohol and acute food poisoning.
In the presence of individual intolerance to the ingredients of this drink, it is necessary to choose another brand of wine. In this regard, consumers should focus on which varieties and brands are definitely not suitable for them, and do not try them again. 
The fact is that the wine is quite strong. alcoholic drink. And this means that if you exceed a certain amount of alcohol you drink, you can expect a hangover in the morning. In addition, any drinks "inspire" the use of another glass, after a short time, provoking the development of addiction. In this situation, no matter what kind of grape drink a person uses, pain in the head area is provided to him.
What wine doesn't give you a headache? Subject to the consumption rate, natural young and elite wine from well-known manufacturers will not cause the above symptoms.
Benefits of young wine
Young wine is grape must that has already begun to ferment, but has not yet become ready. It is characterized by a sweet taste. As the alcohol content rises, it becomes less sweet. 
The above drink is very useful. In particular, young wine has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, dilating blood vessels, slows down the development of atherosclerosis, and lowers cholesterol levels. With its regular use, you can relieve stress and overcome insomnia, saturate the body with a whole complex of vitamins, amino acids and trace elements.
Characteristics of sweet and semi-sweet
Determining the scope of drinking sweet wine, scientists have found that people who drink more than 300 grams of drink in one day increase the risk of developing hypertension, stroke, problems with the cardiovascular system, pancreas, and also increase the likelihood of certain types of cancer and cirrhosis. liver. 
On the other hand, a moderate amount of sweet wine brings some benefits to the body. Drinking one glass, you can recharge your positive mood and cheerfulness for the whole coming day. Available in sweet wine range essential oils and esters improves the tone of the nervous system and lower blood pressure.
Description of dry and semi-dry
The most useful, according to experts, are dry and semi-dry wines. They contain the least amount of sugar and alcohol, which allows you to save all healing properties these drinks.
Sugar in large quantities contributes to the occurrence of various abnormalities in the work of the pancreas. Ethanol, penetrating into the body, is able to destroy the cellular structure. For this reason, doctors recommend not to abuse dessert wine (in which there is a lot of sugar and alcohol), but to give preference to dry or semi-dry.
Dry white wines, diluted mineral water help with atherosclerosis. Doctors advise drinking such a drink with a strength of less than 12% in the presence of metabolic disorders, stomach diseases and anemia. 
How to overcome pain
In the case when, after drinking wine, pain appears in the head area, the best way to prevent pain will be to eliminate its cause, namely, to refuse to use this alcoholic beverage. The fact that such alcohol is healthy has no basis, which has been confirmed in recent studies. Wine can only be harmless when its consumption is limited to a maximum of two glasses once a week.
Another elementary method of preventing headaches is to take a Citramon tablet. However, this medicinal product has a number of side effects and is contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity to its components. Therefore, you should pay attention to other ways to deal with a headache after wine. In particular, experts recommend:
If poor health and a hangover pass into a difficult stage (for example, they do not allow a person to sleep or work normally), it would be useful to resort to the help of medical specialists in order to alleviate alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
Treatment of such a condition with wine or other alcoholic beverages seems impossible, because the next servings will only worsen the symptoms. In order to prevent alcohol consumption from leading to a terrible hangover in the morning, consumers need to buy only natural and expensive drinks.
Conclusion
Any alcohol contributes to the appearance of not only a headache. They are considered psychoactive. This means that after taking one dose, a person has a desire to drink more, and alcohol dependence also appears. For this reason, even in medicinal purposes it is highly undesirable to drink wine. 
