How To Get Tested For Allergies Causing Fatigue
As we have discussed above, both seasonal and year-round allergies can cause fatigue. Getting tested is the first step to feeling better if your allergies are triggered by pollens, animal dander, mold, dust mites, cockroaches, weather changes or possibly something else.â
âToday, testing for allergies can be both convenient and accurate. When combined with a detailed medical history, allergy testing can very often identify the specific trigger of your symptoms.âSays Ivor Emanuel, M.D, board certified allergy & otolaryngology specialist.
If your fatigue is caused by allergies, the best treatment is to get your allergies under control. Once you have been tested and have identified your allergies, you can work on avoiding triggers and controlling your environment. There are also other non-pharmaceutical and non drowsy medications available today.
Common allergy tests include:
- IgE Blood tests – If you have allergies, your blood will contain certain IgE antibodies that show youâre sensitivity to many possible allergen triggers.
- Skin tests – This involves pricking your skin with a needle to expose you to a small amount of an allergen. If youâre allergic, youâll develop a raised bump on the area of the allergen prick you are reacting to.
- Physical exam – There are many physical signs of allergies, from skin irritation to nasal and breathing problems. These may help your doctor diagnose your allergies.
How Allergy Symptoms Can Make You Tired
Your immune system responds to airborne allergens by releasing chemicals that create inflammation in your nose. As a result, you might experience nasal congestion, sneezing, and a runny nose. All of these symptoms narrow airways, making it difficult to breathe, especially when youre lying downwhich can make for difficult nights sleep.1
While many people suffer from seasonal allergies , millions of Americans experience year-round symptoms. The culprit: indoor allergenssuch as dust mites, pet dander, and moldall of which can be found in the bedroom.2
Risks And Side Effects
While most of the supplements and tips described above can provide natural allergy relief safely, there are some precautions to keep in mind.
When allergies are mild or moderate, they are usually not very threatening and go away with time. However, severe allergic reactions can be dangerous and require medical attention.
Anaphylaxis is the term for a severe allergic reaction, which can happen due to contact with food allergens, drugs/medications or insect stings. Symptoms usually affect the lungs, blood vessels or heart and can include:
- trouble breathing
If you or your child experience these symptoms, head to your doctor or the emergency room right away to prevent complications.
What can you do for severe allergies? Your doctor may need to prescribe allergy shots or prescription asthma medications, such as bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids.
Discuss these options with your health care provider, and consider trying the natural allergy relief remedies described above in addition to using medications.
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What Causes Allergies Anyway
An allergic reaction is a chain reaction that starts in your genes and is expressed by your immune system, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology .
When you have an allergy to something, like pollen or grass, your immune system views it as an invader . It then overreacts by producing antibodies called Immunoglobulin E , which travel to cells that release chemicals called histamines, Dr. Monteleone explains. Cue the stuffy nose, coughing, sneezing, and other uncomfortable symptoms.
Youve Been More Sedentary Than Usual
While going hard during your at-home workouts can wear you out, the opposite is true too. The human body gets more tired with progressive sedentary habits due to generalized deconditioning of the body and, ultimately, muscle loss, says Sobia Khan, MD, assistant professor of general internal medicine and Director of Womens Center for Comprehensive Care at Baylor College of Medicine.
Basically, your body takes a use it or lose it approach to fitness. And, if you dont exercise regularly, youre going to feel more tired when you actually do start moving, and during the time when youre not expending energy.
How to fix it: This solution is pretty simpleget moving more. Just a reminder, the general physical activity recommendation is that you get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, along with two or more days a week of muscle-strengthening activity. Once you start moving again, itll be easier to get through your day-to-day stuff without being a zombie.
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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.
Fighting Back Against Allergies And Fatigue
Given that fatigue is a part of your immune response, it can seem almost impossible to avoid. However, there are ways you can combat your allergies on a daily basis.
The first step is to identify the source. This can be achieved through a comprehensive allergy test. These tests can take three different forms: skin tests, blood tests, and physical examinations. Skin tests are most common and typically involve creating a grid on a patients back, where they are pricked with an infinitesimal sample of an allergen. These tests can help your allergy doctor rule out dozens of options as they try to find what allergens are making you miserable. This is how they build the best treatment plan for you. By contrast, physical examinations are typically reserved for patients with more severe reactions. These include symptoms that manifest on the skin or lead to lasting inflammation.
From there, your allergy doctor will be able to identify your best options for treatment. Dr. Mayank Shukla is a New York pulmonologist who specializes in comprehensive allergy treatment. He breaks allergy treatment options into three major categories:
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Clean Up Around The House
Some of the most common allergens include dust and pollen. You can help reduce exposure to allergens by dusting, vacuuming, and washing the sheets regularly.
Additionally, keeping pets off furniture, making sure the bathroom is well ventilated, using air conditioning instead of opening windows, and monitoring for high pollen days can help you reduce allergen exposure and symptoms.
Are There Ways To Reduce Your Allergy Exposure
Here are several ways to minimize your exposure to seasonal allergies:
- Pay attention to daily pollen and mold spore levels, so you can avoid outdoor activities as much as possible when counts are high. To check out the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunologys allergen tracker, .
- Begin taking medications before the start of the allergy seasonwhen pollen, grass, ragweed, or mold counts soar.
- Shut the windows and doors in your home, office, and car to seal out pollen.
- Wear a hat when outdoors or wash your hair before bed to keep pollen off your pillow and away from your face.
- Change your clothes after spending time outdoors to minimize your exposure to pollen. Studies show that half of the pollen that accumulates on clothing remains even if you try to shake or brush it off before you go indoors.
- Avoid mowing the grass or raking moldy leaves if those are your triggers, or wear a mask when doing so.
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What You Can Do
It might leave you feeling discouraged to hear about the links between fatigue, mood, and even cognitive abilities and allergies, but there are many things that can be done that could, in turn, benefit you both from an allergy standpoint and a non-nasal symptom standpoint.
We have come a long way in methods of treating allergic rhinitis. That said, everyone is different and it often requires some trial and error to find out what works best for you.
The first step is to take a look at your environment. With the medications we have available, it’s sometimes easy to forget that there are other methods available to address your symptoms such as avoidance of the cause.
You may also want to keep an eye on outdoor pollen counts and plan outdoor activities around these. Of course, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and practicing stress management can make a difference all the way around.
Hay Fever: Natural Ways To Treat Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
What makes spring so beautiful for many people leads to misery for those who suffer from seasonal allergy symptoms. Fresh-cut grass, blooming trees and flowers, and weeds release pollen, causing seasonal allergies in an estimated 40 million to 60 million people each year, or up to 20 percent of people living in certain countries.
Surveys have shown that when left untreated, seasonal allergy symptoms can become pretty miserable, affecting day-to-day activities and sometimes even spurring asthma attacks. For example, approximately 80 percent of people with asthma also suffer from seasonal allergies.
Treating hay fever symptoms can reduce asthma-related hospitalizations and emergencies.
How do you treat seasonal allergies? The good news is that natural allergy treatments can be as effective and, in many cases, even more effective than allergy medications.
Some of the best options for managing seasonal allergy symptoms include making changes to your diet to reduce common allergens and inflammatory foods, taking supplements that support your immune system, and ridding your home of allergy triggers.
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Do Allergies Cause Fatigue
Allergy symptoms occur when your bodys immune system reacts to a substance youre allergic to.
As part of the antibody response, your body releases substances called immunoglobulin E and histamine.
These substances create inflammation in your body to fend off the allergens, which may cause you to experience allergy symptoms such as:
- Throat irritation
In addition to these classic allergy symptoms, studies suggest this whole-body inflammation caused by an allergic reaction can also make you feel tired.
You may also notice you feel mentally foggy when you have allergies.
Thats because when you experience nasal congestion, you may breathe in less oxygen through your nose.
This can interfere with your ability to concentrate on tasks or remember things, which some people call brain fog.
Allergy symptoms can also cause difficulty sleeping. If youre tossing and turning at night due to a stuffy nose or sneezing, you might feel fatigued the next day.
Lastly, its possible your allergy medication could be making you tired.
For example, diphenhydramine is known to make people sleepy, so its often used as a sleep aid.
Talk to your doctor about the best allergy medication for you if you suspect yours is making you feel tired.
How To Manage Allergy
Do you have allergies and feel like every time you experience a flare-up, you become very tired? As if you didnt have enough to deal with when it comes to allergic symptomsin addition to a runny nose, wheezing, a cough, itchy and watery eyes, and more, allergies can make you feel constantly tired. Heres how allergies are linked to fatigue.
How do allergies cause fatigue?
When you experience allergy flare-ups, you may also notice that you feel more tired than usual. This is because allergens prompt your body to release chemicals called histamines. Histamines help your body fight allergies, but they can also cause swelling in your nasal passages. This can lead to congestion, which can worsen your symptoms and make it difficult to sleep. Poor sleep results in fatigue.
How do you treat fatigue caused by allergies?
In most cases, the best way to treat fatigue caused by allergies is to treat your allergies. The first step is to determine what you are allergic to.
Get a diagnosis for your allergies.The key to successfully treating your allergies is knowing what you are allergic to. An allergist can conduct allergy testing to determine which allergens trigger your symptoms. You can then work with your doctor to treat your allergies.
Your allergist will be able to help you develop a plan to limit exposure to allergens. This can be an important part of managing your allergies and therefore reducing fatigue.
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Your Medication Is Wiping You Out
Zyrtec Allergy Relief Tablets + Itch Relief Stick
Zyrtec Allergy Relief Tablets + Itch Relief Stick
Certain allergy medications, including first-generation antihistamines like diphenhydramine can make you feel tired, says Stanley Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., division chief of Allergy-Immunology-Rheumatology at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Antihistamines block the receptors for histamine in the body, and there is a receptor for histamine in the brain that keeps you alert, he explains. When certain antihistamines reach your brain, they can make you feel sleepy as a result. Thats why Dr. Monteleone says she often encourages patients to use second-generation antihistamines like cetirizine . Theyre non-sedating and tend to have less of that fatigue-causing property, she says.
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.
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How To Treat Allergy Fatigue
The brain fog and exhaustion of allergy fatigue can be frustrating, but they are not without solutions!
Before anything else, its advisable to talk to a physician or allergist to determine exactly what youre allergic to.
Theyll likely perform an allergy test usually a blood or skin test to figure out exactly what triggers an allergic reaction in your system, so you can do your best to avoid that allergen.
Aside from avoiding your allergy, there are a number of other ways you can reduce allergy symptoms, and with them allergy fatigue.
How To Manage Allergy Fatigue
Find the Source of Your Symptoms
The first step to preventing allergy fatigue is finding the source of your symptoms. That can be pretty hard when you have a million things making you tired every day, so it can help to pay close attention to your other allergy symptoms and what triggers them. To do this, try starting an allergy log. Simply jot down your symptoms and the things you are exposed to throughout the day, and look for links between the two.
If youre having trouble finding the source of your symptoms on your own, you can take an at-home allergy test to help you get to the bottom of it. Visiting an allergist who specializes in diagnosing and treating allergies is also a good option, especially if your allergies are severe. You might discover that youre allergic to something you never even thought of.
Limit Exposure to Allergens
Once you find out which allergens are causing your fatigue, the next step is to find ways to limit exposure. For outdoor allergens, like pollen and mold, you can track daily allergen levels and see when theyre at their highest. You can find this information online or on most weather apps. Try to limit your time outdoors as much as possible on high exposure days, and move family activities indoors whenever you can during allergy season.
Consider Allergy Medication
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Treating Fatigue Caused By Allergies
1. Limit your exposure to allergens
The best way to fully reduce your allergy symptoms is to decrease your exposure to your known allergy triggers. Once you know which allergens are the cause of your symptoms, you can reduce your exposure to them. For example, if youâre allergic to pollen, you can try to stay indoors on days when pollen counts are high., or if you are very allergic to cats you can try to limit your exposure to them.
You can also check online to find your local pollen report. If you have air-conditioning, you should try to keep your windows closed. The same goes for when you are traveling in a car, keep the air conditioning on. If you do spend a lot of time outside, it is a good idea to change your clothing as soon as you come inside.
There are many examples online on how to reduce your allergen exposure once you have identified your specific trigger.
2. Medication
There are many kinds of allergy medications. Some are targeted at specific allergies while others are more generalized and treat many kinds of allergies. The most common medications are antihistamines, which are generally now found OTC or you can experiment with natural antihistamines.
Your best bet if you want to avoid feeling tired and also reduce other annoying allergy symptoms is to take an antihistamine. â
As mentioned earlier, be aware that many antihistamines themselves can cause fatigue and drowsiness.
3. Allergy Immunotherapy
