Can Allergies Cause Fatigue?

Updated
Updated

Can seasonal allergies make you tired?

There are several reasons why allergies can make you feel tired. Allergy symptoms can make it harder to sleep at night, and the immune response to allergens can make you feel fatigued. Antihistamines can also cause drowsiness as a side effect.

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Allergies cause a variety of uncomfortable and annoying symptoms like sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes. But what about fatigue and drowsiness? Is feeling tired a symptom of seasonal allergies?

You may be surprised to learn that the answer is yes. Though not everyone will experience this symptom related to their allergies, it does happen. The symptom of feeling tired can also range in severity, with some people just feeling a little drowsy and others feeling too tired to perform well in their daily activities. If you’re feeling tired from your allergies, Wyndly can help. Take our easy 2-minute online assessment now, or read on to learn more about allergies and feeling tired.

The Link Between Seasonal Allergies and Drowsiness

So why do we feel tired after a seasonal allergy reaction? What’s the link? One reason is that the drowsiness can be brought on by other allergy symptoms. When you have seasonal allergies, you can get swelling and congestion in your nose. This nasal blockage makes breathing at night more difficult, which can cause you to get less sleep or lower quality sleep. Thus, the next day you feel tired and fatigued. You might even experience brain fog

Another reason for allergy-related fatigue might be attributed to your body working to fight off the perceived threat of the allergen that entered your body. When you have an allergic reaction, your body mistakes a harmless substance for a foreign invader. It then responds with antibodies to fight the threat. This extra work that your body is putting in can also make you feel tired, similar to when your body is dealing with a cold or flu virus.

Finally, if you have seasonal allergies, you might take an over-the-counter antihistamine. While some of these allergy meds are non-drowsy, that can’t be said for all of them. Benadryl in particular is known for causing drowsiness. If you take allergy medications and you’re feeling tired, check the side effects to see if that could be causing your fatigue.

How to Cope With It

When you’re feeling tired from your allergies, there are ways to manage this symptom and feel more alert. To do so, you’ll need to manage your allergies and find their source.

Here are some ideas for coping with allergy symptoms.

Get a Skin Prick or Blood Test 

First, it’s a good idea to find out what is causing your allergies. This will make symptom management and treatment easier. A common way to find out what allergies you have is with a skin prick test. To get a skin prick test, you need to make an appointment with a doctor or allergist and visit their office.

This is how it works:

  • The doctor or nurse will scrape your skin with a needle that has different allergens on it.
  • After a short time, the spots on your skin that are itchy, swelling, or red will indicate what you’re allergic to.
  • Although this can reveal your allergies, it can be time-consuming and uncomfortable.

An alternative to a skin prick test is a blood test. Again, this requires an in-person doctor appointment and painful needles to draw your blood and find your allergens. If you want to skip the doctor’s visit and the uncomfortable old-fashioned allergy tests, you can get an at-home test from Wyndly instead. Wyndly’s at-home allergy test is convenient and painless.

Here’s how it works:

  • Order your test and it will be delivered to your door.
  • Follow the simple finger prick instructions and mail it back.
  • Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through a treatment plan.

Once you know what allergies you have, you can start limiting your exposure to them.

Limit Your Exposure

Limiting your exposure is a good way to manage your allergy symptoms. Although airborne allergens are difficult to avoid completely, there are ways you can reduce your exposure.

  • Check pollen levels: If you’re allergic to pollen, you can check the pollen count using an app or website. On days with a high pollen count, it’s best to stay indoors or wear a dust mask if you have to go outside.
  • Reduce mold: If your allergies are due to mold, you can lower humidity levels in your home to less than 50%, fix leaks in your home, and clean up mold anywhere you can find it.
  • Clean your home: No matter what your allergies are, keeping your house clean can help reduce your exposure. Make sure to vacuum often using a HEPA-filter vacuum. When you’re dusting, use a wet cloth to wipe down surfaces so you don’t kick up the allergens.
  • Bathe often and wash clothes: If you have seasonal allergies, the pollen can get in your hair, on your skin, and on your clothes. Make sure to shower after you’ve been outside for extended periods and do laundry often. Also, you should avoid hanging clothes out to dry outside.
  • Wear gloves and a mask while doing yard work: Make sure you’re not breathing in pollen or mold spores when doing yard work. If possible, have someone else do the yard work for you.
  • Keep windows closed: Keep your windows closed during allergy season and run your A/C. It can also help to install a HEPA filter on your A/C system.
  • Take shoes off when you get home: Try to not track in allergens. Taking off your shoes when you get home is a good idea.
  • Brush pets outside and bathe them often: If you’re allergic to pet dander, brush your pets often and bathe them to reduce the dander in your home. Also, wipe them off with a towel when they come inside to get pollen off of them if you’re allergic to pollen.

Limiting your exposure can be helpful, but sometimes you’ll need additional treatments to help you further manage your symptoms.

Consistently Take Your Meds

If you’re dealing with allergies, you may choose to take over-the-counter allergy medications to help keep your symptoms at a manageable level. Antihistamines are the most common. They’re easy to take and will reduce most of the common symptoms. Select a non-drowsy option if you’re feeling tired from your allergies.

With that being said, even non-drowsy pills can sometimes make people feel tired. If this is what happens to you, it’s best to take your allergy pills in the evening. This may even help you get better sleep.

You’ll want to take your allergy medications consistently so your body can get used to them. This can help reduce your drowsy feelings and help keep symptoms at bay throughout the day.

Use a Neti Pot

As we mentioned, the swelling in your nasal passages often contributes to getting a poor night’s sleep. A neti pot can be useful for some people, as it clears the nasal passage quickly. A neti pot is filled with a saline solution and then poured into the nostril. This can help manage the inflammation and swelling that may be keeping you up at night.

Talk to a Doctor

It’s always a good idea to consult your doctor about your fatigue symptoms to make sure that there isn’t a more pressing concern than allergies. Chronic illnesses, sleep disorders, and other conditions can also cause fatigue. Getting a checkup and doing any doctor-recommend tests can help you rule out anything serious.

If you are dealing with allergies, Wyndly can help with our personalized allergy treatment plans that are designed to fix your symptoms at the source.

Retrain Your Immune System With Sublingual Immunotherapy

While limiting your exposure, taking medication, and using a neti pot can all help manage symptoms, they’re not a long-term solution. Sublingual immunotherapy can help you treat your symptoms and provide lifelong relief.

Sublingual immunotherapy retrains your immune system to ignore the allergens that cause your symptoms, and over time your symptoms can be reduced. Unlike allergy shots that require frequent injections, you can take sublingual immunotherapy by mouth. Sublingual immunotherapy can also be taken from the comfort of your home.

Take Our Allergy Assessment to Fix Your Allergies

You don’t have to let your allergies make you feel tired and miserable. Wyndly can help you fix your allergies so you can be free of allergy symptoms for good. Take our allergy assessment today to find out how Wyndly can help you.

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