Is Watermelon Good for Headaches?

Partly: watermelon may help a headache associated with dehydration by supplying water, but it can trigger headaches in some people with migraine. Studies have examined watermelon as a possible migraine trigger, not as a headache treatment. Eat it if it agrees with you, and seek medical help for a severe or unusual headache. It is one option to consider alongside the best foods for headaches.

Can watermelon help a headache?

Watermelon may be useful when a headache occurs alongside mild dehydration, because eating it contributes fluid. It is not a proven headache remedy, and drinking or eating more will not necessarily help if dehydration is not contributing to the pain.

Thirst, a dry mouth and darker urine can occur with dehydration, but they do not establish the cause of a headache. Headaches have many possible causes, including migraine, illness and changes in sleep or eating patterns.

For people who have migraine, the answer is more complicated: some report that watermelon brings on an attack. If you have noticed that pattern, do not assume that eating it for hydration will help.

How might watermelon affect headaches?

Watermelon is mostly water, so a serving can contribute to your fluid intake. Replacing fluids may help when dehydration is a factor, although improvement after eating watermelon does not prove dehydration caused the headache.

Watermelon also contains citrulline, which the body can use to produce nitric oxide, a signaling molecule involved in blood vessel function. Researchers have explored this pathway as a possible explanation for watermelon-triggered migraine attacks. That proposed mechanism is not evidence that watermelon relieves headaches.

The amount of fluid you need depends on your circumstances, and food is only one source. For other ways to replace fluids, see the best drinks for headaches.

What does the research say?

In a 2023 controlled clinical study, 38 people with migraine and 38 people without headaches ate a portion of watermelon. Nine of the people with migraine reported a headache attack afterward; none of the control group did. Researchers also measured a rise in blood nitrite, consistent with possible activation of the nitric oxide pathway.

The study was small, its participants were not randomly selected, and the study summary does not describe a placebo comparison. It raises concern about a possible trigger but cannot establish how often watermelon triggers migraine in the wider population.

A larger 2021 interview study asked 3,935 people with migraine and 1,163 people with tension-type headache about plant foods they associated with headaches. Watermelon was the most frequently reported plant-food trigger among the migraine group. Because the reports relied on participants identifying and remembering triggers, they cannot by themselves prove that watermelon caused the attacks.

Neither study tested watermelon as a treatment for an existing headache. Together, they support caution for people who notice a migraine pattern, not a claim that watermelon prevents or relieves headaches.

How can you use watermelon safely?

If watermelon normally agrees with you, eat a small serving as part of your usual food and fluid intake. You can also drink water when you are thirsty; there is no established amount of watermelon for treating a headache.

If you have migraine, pay attention to your own pattern rather than assuming that every reported food trigger applies to you. A simple headache diary can record when you ate watermelon, when pain began and other relevant factors, such as missed meals or changes in sleep. Share a recurring pattern with a clinician rather than repeatedly testing a suspected trigger.

Wash the outside of a whole watermelon before cutting it, and refrigerate cut pieces promptly. If you prefer a flavored drink, watermelon infused water is another way to make water more appealing; it is not a proven headache treatment.

If a headache persists, returns often or differs from your usual pattern, arrange a medical assessment instead of relying on food or fluids alone.

Who should be careful, and when should you see a doctor?

If you have migraine and watermelon repeatedly seems to precede attacks, avoid it for now and discuss the pattern with a clinician. Do not stop prescribed headache medication or replace a treatment plan with watermelon.

If you have diabetes, consider watermelon as part of your usual carbohydrate plan. If you have kidney disease, heart failure or another condition for which you have been told to limit fluids, follow your clinician’s fluid guidance rather than deliberately increasing intake. Drinking excessive amounts of water can also be harmful.

Children with persistent or recurring headaches should be assessed by a healthcare professional. During pregnancy, seek prompt medical advice for a new or severe headache, especially with vision changes.

Seek emergency care for a sudden, extremely severe headache, or a headache with weakness, confusion, trouble speaking, a stiff neck and fever, or after a head injury. Seek urgent medical advice if vomiting prevents you from keeping fluids down or you have signs of significant dehydration.