According
to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and
Immunology, “allergies are among the most common chronic conditions worldwide.”
They can make you miserable, and typically trigger symptoms in your nose,
throat, lungs, sinuses and ears, on your skin or the lining of your stomach.
The most
common allergens are dust, pollen, animal dander, mold, insect stings, certain
foods, medications and latex. Allergies & Fatigue In his article “Molds,
Mites, and Pollens: Common Causes of Allergic Fatigue,” Ronald Hoffman, M.D.,
says “over twenty million Americans suffer from hay fever. About ten million
are victims of asthma, and another eleven million suffer from skin disorders
like eczema, hives, and rashes. Many allergic individuals don’t realize that
their unusual fatigue, irritability, and mood swings may be due to seasonal
allergic reactions.”
In an
interview aired by KSEE24 News, allergist Talal Nsouli, M.D., said, “It’s a
disaster when patients are afflicted with these types immune system afflictions.
The allergies are affecting their energy; they cannot wake up in the morning;
they are late to work; it affects their mood; it causes irritability.”
Nsouli
studied 98 patients suffering from seasonal and environmental allergies; 82 per
cent of them said they experienced “extreme fatigue and lethargy.” Nsouli says
“this is more evidence that when allergens enter the body, chemicals like
histamines can actually slow down brain function. So people will not only feel
fatigue, they can feel irritable, depressed, and even have symptoms similar to
attention deficit disorder. Other studies have even linked seasonal allergies
to chronic fatigue syndrome.”
A 2006
study published by the American Medical Association reports that allergic
rhinitis (AR) “has been shown to impair quality of life.” The study revealed
that “poorly controlled symptoms of AR may also contribute to sleep loss or
disturbance, resultant daytime fatigue, and decreased overall cognitive
functioning.”
Another
study led by Timothy Craig, D.O., associate professor of medicine at Penn State’s
College of Medicine, found that fatigue experienced
by people with perennial allergies may be the result of nasal congestion and
associated sleep fragmentation.
Steven V.
Park, M.D., author of Sleep, Interrupted, says “when your nose gets
stuffy, your tongue starts to fall back, creating a vacuum effect in your
throat, so you keep waking up, because you can’t breathe.” Allergy Medication
Besides allergies themselves, some over-the-counter allergy medications can
cause extreme fatigue and grogginess. Due to its sedating properties, the
antihistamine diphenhydramine hydrochloride, for instance, is also sold as a
non-prescription sleep aid and is an ingredient in some night-time cold and
pain medications. When taking sedating antihistamines, studies have shown you
may experience greater difficulty functioning than if you were under the
influence of alcohol. This can be hard on your immune system. Alternately, the
decongestant pseudoephedrine, found in many allergy formulations, is a
stimulant that may cause insomnia. After a night of tossing and turning who
wouldn’t be exhausted the next day? This could also wreck havoc on your immune
system, and make you sick and tired.
Ways to
Prevent Allergy-Related Exhaustion Craig says people who can breathe easier at
night, “have a less interrupted sleep pattern” and “an improved quality of
life.”He found that study subjects who were treated with a topical nasal
corticosteroid experienced “improved night-time sleep and reduced daytime
fatigue,” and recommends nasal steroids “as the first line of medical therapy
in adults having AR with nasal congestion.” Hoffman recommends taking extra
vitamin C after an allergic reaction, as it is a natural antihistamine. Nasal
irrigation is also a drug-free way to reduce allergy symptoms.
Melissa
Pynnonen, M.D., Co-Director of the Michigan
Sinus Center,
says “nasal irrigation can be considered a first-line treatment for common
nasal and sinus symptoms, [as] it’s often more effective than medications or
can be used in addition to traditional medication.”
Of course,
avoiding the allergens that cause your allergies would be best. If you’re
allergic to animal dander, ban your pet from the bedroom, vacuum regularly and
use an air purifier. If you’re allergic to mold, eliminate it from your home.
If certain foods trigger an allergic reaction,
stop eating
them. If you’re allergic to pollen, close your windows during allergy season.
If you’re allergic to feathers, don’t get a bird and sleep on hypo-allergenic
pillows with a feather-free duvet, and so on. If you are suffering from
allergies, but are unsure of the cause, an allergist can help.
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