WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Video
WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Video
This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack
Watch 0:23

This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack

{headline}

{headline}

5 Natural Remedies To Relieve The Symptoms Of Asthma

5 Natural Remedies To Relieve The Symptoms Of Asthma

1 In 3 Australians Are Suffering From This Little-Known Condition

1 In 3 Australians Are Suffering From This Little-Known Condition

Rachel Vercoe Is Proving Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis Doesn't Define Her

Rachel Vercoe Is Proving Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis Doesn't Define Her

Sia Gets Real About Her Chronic Pain And Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Diagnosis

Sia Gets Real About Her Chronic Pain And Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Diagnosis

{headline}

{headline}

5 Women Share The Thing That Surprised Them Most About Menopause

5 Women Share The Thing That Surprised Them Most About Menopause

Viral Photo Shows How A Mum Saved Her Son's Life By Recognising Signs Of Sepsis

Viral Photo Shows How A Mum Saved Her Son's Life By Recognising Signs Of Sepsis

10 Signs Of Burnout And How To Treat It

10 Signs Of Burnout And How To Treat It

{headline}

{headline}

6 Telltale Signs You Need to See Your Doctor About Low Libido

6 Telltale Signs You Need to See Your Doctor About Low Libido

Anna Kendrick Was Hospitalised With Kidney Stones – Here’s What That Means

Anna Kendrick Was Hospitalised With Kidney Stones – Here’s What That Means

Is Your Personality Ruining Your Sleep?

Is Your Personality Ruining Your Sleep?

Selma Blair Shares The 'Uncomfortable' Truth About Living With MS

Selma Blair Shares The 'Uncomfortable' Truth About Living With MS

5 Tips For Managing Eczema As The Weather Heats Up

5 Tips For Managing Eczema As The Weather Heats Up

This Woman’s Bald Spot Turned Out to Be Caused By Breast Cancer

This Woman’s Bald Spot Turned Out to Be Caused By Breast Cancer

5 Reasons Why Your Libido Has Disappeared

5 Reasons Why Your Libido Has Disappeared

  1. Home
  2. Health

8 Strange Allergy Symptoms You Might Not Know About

Battling with brain fog lately? - by Marty Munson
  • 07 May 2019
8 Strange Allergy Symptoms You Might Not Know About
Getty

Seasonal allergy symptoms aren’t only about sneezing and wheezing. Sometimes the symptoms are more subtle. And that’s trouble, because when they’re less obvious, you either suck it up and keep feeling like crap or knock on the wrong doctor’s door for treatment, delaying relief.

There are tons of allergy treatments and symptom soothers, from nasal sprays to OTC meds, to prescription drugs to drops you can put under your tongue and nobody’s favourite, allergy shots. So if you have a little (or a lot of) congestion or itchy or watery eyes and any of the following, you don’t have to put up with it—but you might need a consult with an allergist to find the perfect way to make it all stop.

RELATED: 5 Natural Ways To Nip Hay Fever In The Bud Once And For All 

Feeling tired all the time

tired
Getty

It’s not just all the congestion that makes you feel out of it. Seasonal allergies themselves can drag your energy down, says Eugene Hurwitz, M.D., medical director of the Center for Allergy and Asthma of Georgia. When your body encounters an allergen, it releases histamine, and “histamine in your body can make you feel fatigued,” he says. In addition, the inflammation that happens in your sinuses when you are allergic to something can cause sinus infections, which will also leave you feeling slow.

Not sleeping well

One study found that among more than 3,800 sufferers of allergic rhinitis, only 3.6 per cent of them said they had 100 per cent sleep adequacy, meaning they slept well and got enough shuteye. (But keep in mind that only about 19 per cent of people without this problem had 100 per cent sleep adequacy, so 3.6 per cent is really low, but nobody else’s sleep is perfect, either.) If you’re congested and not breathing normally, it makes sense that you wouldn’t sleep well, says Courtney Jackson Blair, M.D., owner of Allergy and Asthma Associates, P.C. in McLean and Sterling, VA.

RELATED: This Might Be Why Your Guy Hasn't Wanted To Have Sex Recently

Brain fog

stress
Getty

Research has found that exam scores tend to be lower when exams are done in allergy season. “If we could measure work performance as easily as exam scores, we’d likely find something similar,” says Dr. Blair. People come to her complaining of not being on their game, or struggling through doing what they need to do at home.

It’s possible that histamine release at some level might affect how the brain functions. “That’s more theoretical,” she says. “I think it ties mostly back to a lack of sleep.” 

Low libido

Scientists from the Head and Neck Institute at the Cleveland Clinic found that people with seasonal allergies saw a decline in sexual function. Which makes sense, since there’s little about sneezing, wheezing, and watery eyes that register as “I feel really hot.”

Sudden allergies to fruits you were fine with before

fruit
Getty Images

Certain fruits—like bananas and melons—contain compounds that are very similar to the pollens in trees or ragweed. So when you eat them, you may get the kind of reaction you get when you spend time in nature, says Hurwitz.

In fact, when you’re in allergy season and you have symptoms, “even non-allergens can be irritating, too,” says Dr. Blair. “Perfumes, paint fumes, and even pollution can be harder to withstand when you’re already inflamed with allergies.”

Constant throat clearing

Congestion doesn't always stay put, and when it drips down the back of your throat, you can find yourself in a state of constantly trying to clear it out. In some people, throat clearing even turns into a habit.

Bad breath

When you’re really plugged up with mucus and your membranes are swollen, it’s hard for any fluid to drain out of your sinuses. That means bacteria can settle in there and thrive. Couple that with mouth breathing due to a stuffed nose and you have a recipe for bad breath.

Loss of appetite

pain
Getty Images

All this talk of mucus isn’t terribly appetising, and your stomach doesn’t much like the stuff, either. So if you have post-nasal drip and end up swallowing it, you may lose your appetite, because your stomach doesn’t really know what to do with the mucus.

This article originally appeared on Men's Health US.

RELATED: 5 Reasons Why You're Feeling Completely Exhausted

  • Health
  • Sex & Love
  • Lifestyle
  • Sexual Health
  • Sleep

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Recommended to you

This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack
Watch 0:23

This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack

{headline}

{headline}

5 Natural Remedies To Relieve The Symptoms Of Asthma

5 Natural Remedies To Relieve The Symptoms Of Asthma

1 In 3 Australians Are Suffering From This Little-Known Condition

1 In 3 Australians Are Suffering From This Little-Known Condition

Rachel Vercoe Is Proving Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis Doesn't Define Her

Rachel Vercoe Is Proving Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis Doesn't Define Her

Sia Gets Real About Her Chronic Pain And Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Diagnosis

Sia Gets Real About Her Chronic Pain And Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Diagnosis

{headline}

{headline}

5 Women Share The Thing That Surprised Them Most About Menopause

5 Women Share The Thing That Surprised Them Most About Menopause

Viral Photo Shows How A Mum Saved Her Son's Life By Recognising Signs Of Sepsis

Viral Photo Shows How A Mum Saved Her Son's Life By Recognising Signs Of Sepsis

10 Signs Of Burnout And How To Treat It

10 Signs Of Burnout And How To Treat It

{headline}

{headline}

6 Telltale Signs You Need to See Your Doctor About Low Libido

6 Telltale Signs You Need to See Your Doctor About Low Libido

Anna Kendrick Was Hospitalised With Kidney Stones – Here’s What That Means

Anna Kendrick Was Hospitalised With Kidney Stones – Here’s What That Means

Is Your Personality Ruining Your Sleep?

Is Your Personality Ruining Your Sleep?

Selma Blair Shares The 'Uncomfortable' Truth About Living With MS

Selma Blair Shares The 'Uncomfortable' Truth About Living With MS

5 Tips For Managing Eczema As The Weather Heats Up

5 Tips For Managing Eczema As The Weather Heats Up

This Woman’s Bald Spot Turned Out to Be Caused By Breast Cancer

This Woman’s Bald Spot Turned Out to Be Caused By Breast Cancer

5 Reasons Why Your Libido Has Disappeared

5 Reasons Why Your Libido Has Disappeared

WomensHealth
  • About Paragon Media
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • Contact Paragon Media
  • Contact
  • Subscribe to Digital
  • About Paragon Media
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • Contact Paragon Media
  • Contact
  • Subscribe to Digital

Brands

Our Network

  • Paragon Media Pty Ltd
  • Men’s Health
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe Now-

Shop This Offer
Subscribe Now