5 Ways to Prevent Wine Headaches

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After a night of drinking a few glasses of wine, does e a nasty headache occur? Or how about sharing a bottle with buddies while coping with a piercing migraine? If you identify with either of these descriptions, you are likely to experience wine headaches on a regular basis. While headaches after drinking glasses of wine are not a medical problem, they are very prevalent among wine lovers. However, other types of persistent headaches should be addressed at a headache center. 

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to reduce your chances of experiencing wine headaches. These tips—along with a few products—can help reduce the severity of wine headaches, if not completely eradicate them. Here are some tips to help you avoid wine headaches.

1. Consume water in between glasses 

Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it will cause dehydration when consumed. As the water in your body is flushed out, diuretics increase the output of urine, leading to  frequent trips to the bathroom. Drink a glass of water between each glass of wine to keep your body hydrated. That way, you won't drink too much and risk suffering wine headaches or perhaps a hangover the next day. Furthermore, your body will remain hydrated!

2. Remove the sulfites and tannins with a drop 

Did you know that around 36 million people  in the United States have wine intolerance or suffer from wine headaches? These problems are sometimes linked to the sulfites and tannins found in wine bottles.

Sulfites (sulfur dioxide) are used to preserve wine and prevent it from oxidizing, which improves its flavor. Tannins are a type of tannin that is found in red wine and that makes it taste dry.

Whether or not you have wine headaches from sulfites and tannins, there are products on the market that can help you avoid excruciating headaches! With only a drop or two, you may get rid of both the sulfites and the tannins without losing the wine's flavor—and avoid future wine headaches.

3. Strain the wine

You can buy products that help strain out the sulfites in the wine in addition to drops. There are filters available for purchase, or you can purchase a product that will strain and preserve the bottle of wine at the same time, such as Üllo's wine-preserving decanters.

4. Choose a wine that’s low in tyramine 

Experts believe that foods high in tyramine can cause migraines in some people. Tyramine is a naturally occurring amino acid found in aged and fermented foods such as cheese, cured meats, and, of course, wine. In comparison to white wines, red wines have a higher tyramine content.

However, this does not imply you must avoid all red wines! Tyramine causes headaches in some people but not everyone. Keep track of the wines that give you headaches and look for any similarities in the types of wines—or even where they were made—to determine this.

5. Limit your wine intake 

Is it possible that your wine headache is just a slight hangover? After all, wine is a diuretic, and if you don't drink enough water while drinking it, you might get headaches. The best thing you can do is set a reasonable limit for yourself. Do you get rid of your headaches with 2-4 drinks per week?

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a moderate amount of alcohol consumption is defined as one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Examine your intake to see if it's time to start restricting it. Even talking to your doctor about it will help you avoid wine headaches!