Headache Myths – Part 3

Headache Myths – Part 3 

If you get headaches, you’ll know all about it: there’s certainly no shortage of well-meaning advice. Sadly, not all of it holds up in real life. In this blog, we regularly take common headache myths and put them under the scientific microscope to see what’s actually true. Here’s part three of our series.

Myth No. 7: Certain foods can trigger migraine attacks

• Not proven.

Foods like chocolate, cheese, or nuts are often blamed for triggering migraines.

Verdict: this claim is largely unproven. Although many people say they crave (and eat) chocolate before a migraine attack, the chocolate itself is probably not the real trigger. Instead, the craving for something sweet is likely to be a symptom of a migraine that’s already on its way – a warning sign of an impending attack. According to headache specialist Hartmut Göbel from the Kiel Pain Clinic, migraine attacks develop when the brain is running low on energy (read more about it in this article).

When a migraine is already starting to build, the brain may trigger cravings for high-calorie foods in an attempt to make up for the energy deficit. This protective mechanism is why many people experience overwhelming cravings before an attack begins. Chocolate is one of the most common cravings, explaining why it developed a reputation as a typical migraine trigger. Just as a craving for pickled herring isn’t what causes pregnancy, but rather a sign of the situation, a craving for chocolate isn’t what causes migraines either – it’s also just a symptom, according to Göbel.

Based on what researchers now know about the phase before a migraine attack, this explanation makes a lot of sense. Although migraine research has made huge progress, many of the biological mechanisms involved are still not fully understood. Studying the exact role of nutrition in triggering migraine attacks is particularly challenging (read more about it in this article).

In fact, several studies have failed to show that specific foods directly trigger migraine attacks. And yet, many people with migraine are convinced that certain foods or drinks are personal triggers. This is a perfect example of what makes scientific proof so difficult. Because no two people are exactly the same, and our physical and mental states are constantly changing, it’s almost impossible to expose a group of study participants to exactly the same conditions and then evaluate the results under truly objective circumstances. An example: on some days, we may tolerate a celebratory glass of sparkling wine with no trouble at all. On another occasion, the same drink may leave us with a headache. Trying to derive general cause-and-effect relationships or hard and fast rules is practically impossible.

It’s good to be cautious when others make claims about supposedly “sure-fire” headache triggers. Such perceived links can be misleading – or, if they exist at all, are likely to be highly individual. It’s important not to generalise such experiences. Believing in triggers that may not actually exist can become a major burden if people begin organising their daily lives around avoiding them. The stress that comes with trying to maintain a “perfect” trigger-free lifestyle is unlikely to help migraine prevention.

Based on current research and extensive clinical experience, the most reliable nutritional approach for migraine is avoiding energy deficits in the brain –  for example, by eating regular meals, maintaining stable routines, and staying well hydrated.

Myth No. 8: Mixing different types of alcohol makes your hangover headache worse

• Not true (and there’s a study to prove it).

Alcohol is one of the classic headache triggers. One of the many strategies for avoiding a hangover is to stick to one type of alcohol and to make sure not to drink beer before wine (or wine before beer). Researchers at Witten/Herdecke University looked at whether the order in which a person consumes alcoholic beverages affects the severity of a hangover. To study this, 90 adults – split into three groups – took part in controlled drinking sessions on two separate occasions.

One group drank beer until they reached a blood alcohol level of 0.5‰, then switched to white wine until their alcohol level exceeded 1.1‰. On another test day, they drank the beverages in the opposite order.

In the second group, the participants first drank wine and then switched to beer. On the second test day, they drank beer first, then wine. A third group stayed with the same drink – either beer or wine. On the second test day, they were given the other beverage.

After reaching the target alcohol level, participants were sent to bed with water and asked about their hangover symptoms the next morning using the scientifically recognised “Acute Hangover Scale” (AHS). The result: hangover severity was ranked about the same across all the groups. It made no meaningful difference whether participants drank beer before wine or wine before beer. In short: everyone felt similarly awful, whether they had drunk beer before wine or the other way around.

Hangover severity the morning after depended on how drunk they had felt and whether they had vomited. The order in which drinks were consumed was irrelevant. Put simply: how bad your hangover is doesn’t depend on which drink you had first the night before, but on how drunk you actually got.

But what actually causes alcohol-related headaches, if not the order in which you have your alcoholic drinks? Experts believe several factors are involved. One important factor is alcohol’s diuretic effect, which can lead to dehydration. For the brain, dehydration creates a real energy supply issue and significantly increases the likelihood of headaches.

Myth No. 9: Bed rest is always best

• Actually, not always.

Some people believe that the best remedy for any headache is staying in bed. In fact, it depends very much on the type of headache.

During a migraine attack, rest and darkness can help ease symptoms. For many patients, strict bed rest is the only way to cope with severe pain and sensitivity to light, noise, or smells. On a general level, good, restorative sleep is also very important for migraine prevention. Tension-type headaches (the most common type) are different. Since stress and too little movement may be causative factors, getting some light exercise and fresh air is usually more helpful than staying in bed. If you notice a tension headache coming on, something as simple as going for a walk can stop it from developing further. If the headache has already started, moving around often helps to relieve it fairly quickly.

Regular exercise is also one of the best ways to prevent tension headaches in the first place. Staying active helps reduce stress, releases built-up tension, and keeps your joints and muscles moving – all of which can lower the risk of headache attacks. This also applies to migraine. However, people with migraine should avoid overexertion. It is much better to exercise two or three times a week at a comfortable level and build up gradually than to start by running a half-marathon.

Published: May 2026