No : The Allergic Salute
You vacuum with a HEPA filter. You stay indoors when the pollen count is high. You take medications like your doctor tells you to. But do you really have your symptoms under control? If you’re constantly doing the “allergic salute,” the answer is probably no. This gesture — a swipe at the tip of an itchy, runny nose — is especially common in children.
What Is Inflammation And What Causes It
Weve already established that seasonal allergy symptoms are predominantly caused by inflammation, but in order to understand how to prevent and treat inflammation, its important to know what causes it. First things first – inflammation actually isnt a bad thing most of the time! Its our bodys immune response to foreign substances, which prevents things like cuts and infections from killing us, so you could say its pretty important. Where inflammation becomes problematic is when it becomes chronic and is linked to our diets and other environmental factors, like questionable ingredients in your multivitamin , or mold in your home.
Inflammation also occurs in response to things like a cut or infection by a virus and can cause symptoms like redness, heat, swelling, pain, or even immobility . Sometimes, youll have no symptoms of inflammation at all, while other times, youll be sneezing up a storm thanks to pollen floating around in the air.
You May Have Developed Caffeine Tolerance
If you consume caffeine regularly, you are gradually building tolerance for it over time.
As caffeine tends to block the effects of adenosine, your body may start producing more of it in response.
When your body produces more of the adenosine compounds, your usual amount of coffee may not be sufficient to block its effects. Thus, you may feel more weary and drowsy even after having your java.
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Help I Am Having Troublemanaging Hashimotos What Can I Do
Hashimotos is typically treated with athyroid hormone supplement to restore the bodys levels. However, many patientshave difficulty finding the exact level of supplementation to alleviate theirsymptoms.
A holistic approach aims to address theroot cause of the autoimmune condition, in addition to supporting the thyroidand using thyroid hormone supplements as needed. This usually means makingimprovements to your overall health and balancing other hormone levels tosupport the whole system.
Take Your Allergy Medication In The Evening
Antihistamines are a common and effective way to manage seasonal allergies, and modern allergy medicines are less likely to cause drowsiness than older antihistamines. However, some people may still feel tired after taking an allergy pill, especially if they havent taken one in a while.
To help reduce drowsiness and feel more alert during the day, take your daily antihistamine in the evening rather than first thing in the morning.
Consistency is also key to reducing the drowsiness caused by antihistaminesthe longer you take a daily allergy medication, the more easily your body will be able to tolerate those side effects.
Not all antihistamines are intended for daily use, so talk with your doctor before starting or changing any allergy medications to make sure its a good fit for you.
Recommended Reading: What Ingredient In Allergy Medicine Makes You Drowsy
How Do Allergies Cause Extreme Fatigue
Allergies can cause extreme fatigue in multiple ways. It not only affects nighttime sleep and disrupts sleep, but also can induce daytime fatigue as allergies can wear down the immune system over time.
The allergens upset the immune system. When we are experiencing allergy symptoms our immune system is constantly working to keep releasing chemicals to help make us feel better. This constant running of the immune system can leave your body feeling overworked, weakened, and exhausted.
While allergies can cause fatigue, they can also cause brain fog. Allergic sinusitis affects the amount of oxygen being taken in from your nose due to blockage and congestion. This lower oxygen level in the body can decrease daytime mental efficiency as well as cognitive function. This results in “brain fog”. Some of us might think that it is a placebo effect due to the state of feeling unwell, but it is actually a side effect that can occur with allergic or chronic sinusitis.
Why Rest Is Important When You Have Sinusitis
When fatigue strikes, sinusitis is often an overlooked contributor. Fighting a sinus infection requires a lot of energy, so avoid overdoing it when you have sinusitis.
Sometimes sinusitis is the result of an undiagnosed allergy. In this case, symptoms may never seem to go away or may go away only to return during certain seasons.
If youre dealing with sinusitis, visit an ear, nose, and throat specialist like our board-certified ENT physicians at Southern ENT. We provide top-quality care to patients throughout southern Louisiana. Our team has extensive experience diagnosing and treating a full range of conditions that affect your head and neck, including sinusitis.
If youre fighting a sinus infection, rest should be a top priority. In this post, we discuss sinusitis and the importance of resting when it strikes.
Read Also: How To Know If My Baby Has A Milk Allergy
Fewer Allergens Means Less Fatigue And Better Sleep
After taking these steps, individuals can expect their constant fatigue to lessen. Symptoms could improve in leaps and bounds for some sufferers. Fewer allergens in the home and bedroom will lead to higher quality sleep. From there, a person can expect to feel more rejuvenated in the morning and have more energy during the day. Those that suffer from severe allergies can still reduce their fatigue and other symptoms in noticeable ways!
Can You Grow Out Of Hay Fever
Hay fever is unusual in that sometimes symptoms can improve with age. This may be due to low level exposure to allergens over time developing tolerance in our immune systems, so those who have hay fever as children may not suffer or suffer as much as adults. A study in Allergy and Asthma proceedings found that when checking in with participants twenty three years after the original study, the majority reported improvements in their hay fever symptoms.
References
Recommended Reading: Can Seasonal Allergies Make Your Lips Swell
Why Do Allergies Make Us Tired
In the United States, allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness. Allergens can exist both indoors and outdoors, and it can be a challenge to limit your exposure to them. When it comes to indoor and outdoor allergies, there are a few common culprits that can cause seasonal or recurring allergic reactions such as sinus swelling, nasal congestion or a runny nose, watery eyes, and tiredness. The most common triggers include dust mites, mold, pollen, and pet danderâall of which may cause fatigue.
Find Out Your Allergens
The first step in getting rid of your brain fog is finding out whats causing your allergies. If you dont know what youre allergic to, you should visit a doctor who specializes in allergies. Theyll run tests to find out whats causing your symptoms.
Common allergy tests include:
- Skin tests. This involves pricking your skin with a needle to expose you to a small amount of an allergen. If youre allergic, youll develop a raised bump in the spot of the allergen.
- Blood tests. If you have allergies, your blood will contain certain cells that show youre sensitive to certain allergens.
- Physical exam. There are many physical signs of allergies, from skin irritation to nasal and breathing problems. These can help your doctor diagnose your allergies.
Read Also: Can Food Allergies Cause A Runny Nose
Certain Allergy Medications Can Cause Drowsiness
Reaching for allergy medications to combat or prevent allergy symptoms might help ward off your allergies, but certain medications like antihistamines may also lead to drowsiness during the day.
Not only can certain antihistamines induce drowsiness during the day, but they may also contribute to poor sleep quality at night, leading to feelings of fatigue in the morning.
Caffeine Can Be A Diuretic
Have you ever felt that your toilet visits increase after consuming caffeine? This is because caffeine can be a diuretic, which means it can make you urinate more to get rid of water and salt from your body.
If you consume a lot of coffee without properly hydrating your body, you may start feeling the effects of dehydration, like:
Coffee vs energy drinks
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Can Allergies Make You Tired How To Manage Allergy Fatigue And Sleep Better
If youâre one of the many people who experience allergies, youâve likely suffered from common symptoms like itchy eyes, coughing, sneezing, and nasal congestion. But if you also find yourself dealing with fatigue, you might be wondering: Can allergies make you tired? The short answer is yes, they can.
Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a harmless substance by mistake. These substances are known as allergens, and can cause a number of uncomfortable symptoms such as itchy or watery eyes, coughing and sneezing, irritated skin, nasal congestion, or a runny nose.
There are many ways that allergies can impact your energy levels and cause you to feel tired. In fact, thereâs even a name for fatigue caused by allergiesâ”brain fogââwhich can make it difficult to carry out everyday tasks or function at your best.
Looking to learn more about the relationship between allergies and fatigue? Read on or skip to our infographic to understand why your allergies may be making you tired and learn tips for combating sleeplessness.
Herbs And Supplements For Allergy Relief
To relieve seasonal allergies, pick from one or a combination of several of the following herbs and supplements to be taken daily. Whenever possible, its fantastic if you can get onto this plan even before allergy season hits, but you can start anytime and still get great relief! You can also take them on an as-needed basis, but my experience is that taking them daily through the allergy season that hit you is the most effective strategy for maximum relief.
Freeze-Dried Stinging Nettles
If youve ever gardened near a patch of stinging nettles you know that this herb can pack a little wallop of burning fire if you brush up the wrong way. But when it comes to allergy relief, this humble herb can really do the trick and has been a go-to in my herbal and medical practice for 35 years, often in combination with quercetin .
Nettles also some nice science to back up its use: One study found that 600mg of the freeze-dried form in capsules daily was able to reduce symptoms compared to placebo and 48% of people in the study found it better than other over-the- counter medications. It works by inhibiting the breakdown of something called mast cells in your body.
Mast cells are where histamine is formed, stored, and released. So by preventing their breakdown, they act as a natural antihistamine. But the cool thing is that this natural version doesnt make you sleepy or dry you out.
Butterbur
Probiotics
Quercetin
N-Acetyl-cysteine
Dose: 300 to 900 milligrams, three times a day.
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What Can I Try At Home For Fatigue
There are a few simple techniques which may help to counteract the feeling of extreme tiredness or fatigue:
- Eat right: Eat a colourful, varied and nutrient packed diet to benefit from as many vitamins and minerals as possible. The B vitamins which support the conversion of food into energy are present in many wholefoods such as fish, legumes and wholegrains
- Get enough sleep: Up to 8 hours sleep per night will give you the best chance of feeling energised the following day. Watch our video on What is good sleep? to gain a better insight
- Exercise: Strange as it may seem, exercise can help combat fatigue. Physical activity encourages increased blood flow, increasing the amount of oxygen and vital nutrients being delivered to the tissues of our body, which assists in the process of energy production.
Discover The Source Of Your Symptoms
You may already believe that allergies are the root cause of your fatigue and other symptoms, but there may be more to it than that. An ear, nose and throat specialist can fully examine to make sure other issues such as sinusitis or deviated septum arent causing or worsening your issues. They can also conduct an accurate allergy test to find out exactly which allergies you have, and how severe each one may be. Common triggers of allergies include dust mites, mold, pet dander, and pollen.
Read Also: How To Help Allergies Stuffy Nose
Alleviate Symptoms With Allergy Meds & Nasal Rinses
If you struggle with seasonal allergies, you are likely no stranger to sinus issues. As you spend time outside, even during short trips to work or running errands, you are inhaling particles of dust, pollen, mold, and other allergens. One way to protect your sinuses during this Maryland allergy season is with nasal washes, nasal sprays, and over-the-counter allergy medicines. Saline solutions and distilled water can help to wash away allergen particles from your nasal passageways. And, additional medicines can help to fight inflammation or irritation. If you find that over-the-counter medications arent doing the trick, check-in online and save your spot in line at one of our urgent care centers. We can help you find the right medicines to make it through allergy season.
Congestion Can Cause Brain Fog
A stuffy, swollen nose can make it difficult to think clearly, often causing a hazy or tried feeling. Many have termed this feeling brain fog, and it results from the congestion and pressure in your nasal and sinus air passages. Without treating allergy symptoms, and sometimes contributing sinus issues, the inflammation, irritation, and runny nose at the root of this issue will keep making you feel foggy.
Read Also: What Are The Side Effects Of Allergies
Take Medication At Night
There are several over-the-counter medications that can help manage your allergy symptoms, including fatigue.
Antihistamines, the most common OTC allergy medication, work by blocking the effects of histamines, which stops the inflammation in your body and your allergy symptoms.
Common antihistamines include:
- Chlorpheniramine
While diphenhydramine is the medication most commonly linked with sleepiness, its possible for other allergy medications to cause fatigue, too.
If you think your antihistamine is making you tired, try taking your medication at night.
The drug should still control your symptoms during the day, but talk to your doctor if you still feel tired during waking hours. You may need a different medication.
Why Does Ibs Cause Fatigue
The digestive system, more specifically the small intestine wall, is a major site for absorption of food and nutrients into the body. If this isnt working properly, consequences result.
For example, if not enough essential vitamins and minerals are absorbed our energy levels will decrease. This is especially so if diarrhoea is present and food does not stay in your gut for any length of time.
In addition to this, our bowel contains billions of good bacteria. These produce a number of nutrients, including the B group of vitamins essential for converting our food into energy. If this process is disrupted our energy levels may suffer.
Another possibility may be that bad bacteria or pathogens appear unwanted and are absorbed through the gut wall, which can put the immune system under huge pressure, resulting in fatigue. Chronic fatigue syndrome has been known to appear in people after they have suffered from a bacterial or viral infection.
Sleep disturbances are also linked with IBS and sleeping badly can have an impact on energy levels during the day.
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Figure Out Whats Causing Allergies
Allergy symptoms are a sign your body is fighting off an allergen.
So to best manage those symptoms, its important to identify what youre allergic to.
If you have allergy symptoms that only happen certain times of the year you might have allergic rhinitis .
The most common causes of allergic rhinitis include:
- Pollen, which usually causes allergies in the spring and early summer
- Mold, or tiny fungi that float in the air like pollen, which usually causes symptoms in late summer and early fall
Other forms of allergic rhinitis also stem from environmental allergens, but they may occur year-round:
- Dust mites, tiny organisms found in household fibers
Other common allergy causes may be easier to identify, because theyre not circulating in the environment:
- Insects and insect stings
If you have persistent allergy symptoms and youre not sure what youre allergic to, speak with your doctor.
An allergist can diagnose you via allergy testing and recommend a treatment to help.
Consider Immunotherapy Allergy Drops
While allergy medications provide short-term relief from symptoms, and often lose their effectiveness if overused, immunotherapy is a more long-term approach to allergy fatigue treatment. Immunotherapy slowly introduces the body to more and more of the allergen it is allergic to so that it builds up a tolerance and no longer reacts as strongly. Allergy shots are an older form of immunotherapy that are very effective, but this treatment has some associated risks and requires frequent office visits. Allergy drops are just as effective but can be done easily from home with daily drops under the tongue, making this one of the best ways to manage and eliminate allergies causing fatigue.
Also Check: How To Prevent Peanut Allergy In Infants
How Do You Treat Fatigue From Covid
There are ways to manage fatigue during or after the time you have had COVID-19. Researchers from an April 2022 study published in the Indian Journal of Tuberculosis provided the following suggestions to overcome fatigue after a COVID-19 infection:
- Resting and allowing time for recovery
- Being active but keeping activity low
- Having a balanced diet
- Pausing studies or work responsibilities
- Building time to have fun on a daily basis
The CDC has also offered recommendations for preventing COVID-19 infection, such as getting vaccinated and monitoring your health for signs and symptoms of the disease. As of January 2022, the CDC has also noted reports of side effectsincluding tiredness and fatigueafter people have received doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, in general, most side effects have reportedly been mild or moderate.
Overall, if concerns about chronic fatigue remain, it’s always a good idea to talk with a healthcare professional to determine what will work for you individually.
The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it’s possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.
