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    Champagne Headaches?

    Champagne headaches are real
    August 13, 2025 winemusingswithbetty
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    Varietals and Wine Styles

    We’ve all heard of red wine headaches. But Champagne headaches? Yes. Sadly, they happen. We’ll explore this phenomenon here. Thank you to Got Purple Tree and Organic Authority for their help with this article.

     

    Champagne headaches are real

    Champagne headaches are real

    It’s All About the Bubbles

    Many people say the the best way to avoid the infamous champagne headache is to avoid the drink. It turns out there is likely a legitimate reason for your headaches and a few ways to prevent them. 

    The bubbles, or the carbonation, are the culprit. Got Purple Tree tells us: “Those sweet little orbs contain carbon dioxide, which increases the pressure in your stomach, forcing alcohol out through the lining of your stomach into the bloodstream. The carbon dioxide also ends up competing with the oxygen in your bloodstream, which can cause some dizziness and feelings of nausea.  Basically, despite not being as strong as other drinks, champagne will get you intoxicated quicker because of its bubbles, and it strangles off some oxygen flowing to your brain — so the after-effects are exacerbated when compared to other alcoholic beverages.”

    Champagne Headaches: Can They Be Avoided?

    Organic Authority offers a number of solutions for avoiding Champagne headaches:

     

    • “Don’t drink Champagne on an empty stomach. Eating a light, healthy meal will help slow the absorption of alcohol.
    • Sip your sparkling wine as slowly as possible.
    • Drink one glass of water with every glass of Champagne to reduce dehydration – or at least down a glass before you go to bed.
    • Have a coffee (or two) or take a couple of caffeine pills. Caffeine constricts the blood vessels in your brain, which can reduce your brain pain. Most migraine and headache relief medicines contain caffeine.
    • Take a B vitamin complex containing B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), folic acid, B6. and B12. Drinking alcohol depletes your body’s store of these essential compounds. Having low levels of B vitamins can make your headaches worse. Be sure to talk to your medical professional before taking any new supplement, including vitamins.”

     

    My favorite solution is drinking coffee or taking caffeine pills. What a cool solution.

     

    Do you suffer from Champagne headaches? Have you tried any of these solutions?

    Varietals and Wine Styles
    Varietals and Wine Styles

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