How does stress affect allergies?

Although not an allergen, stress can make allergy symptoms worse. When stressed, the body releases histamine - this chemical also causes allergy symptoms. So, if allergic, more histamine means more intense clinical manifestations.

Allergic manifestations are the result of an overactive immune system. They view harmless foreign substances such as pollen and animal dander as a dangerous threat and need to be combated. These substances are called allergens.
In allergy sufferers, when they inhale small pollen grains or other allergens, the immune system cells in the nose release chemicals that cause symptoms and "call" on more cells. other immune cells to fight. The bigger the "battle" your immune system causes, the worse you feel.

Responding to stress is the body's way of staying safe. When it senses danger, the brain alerts the adrenal glands to release stress hormones. That causes your heart to beat, blood pressure to rise, and blood vessels to constrict to send more blood to your brain and muscles. Stress makes your breathing faster to deliver oxygen to your muscles, and fat and sugar into your bloodstream for a boost of energy.
Stress response is helpful in the short term, helping you get through a difficult situation. But if the stress response is triggered over and over again, over time it can contribute to depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, heartburn and many other health problems. , including more severe allergies.
When you're stressed, your body releases hormones and other chemicals, including histamine that lead to allergy symptoms or make an allergic reaction worse. Chronic stress produces cortisol - the body's main stress hormone. When cortisol is elevated and stays that way for a while, it affects cells, including the immune system. The immune system cannot prevent infection or illness as it should. Viruses or bacteria multiply to the point where they can infect many cells, leading to symptoms and increasing the likelihood of illness.

Unfortunately, stress and allergies go hand in hand. Feeling stressed for any reason can affect allergies. This works both ways: allergies not only cause stress, but stress can also make allergies worse.
Weather allergies, dust make you face watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, cough or sore throat, affecting daily activities. According to experts, the consequence of this condition is a reduced quality of life. This can lead to stress for the patient and family.
There is also a psychological impact. Stress amplifies our emotions towards any symptoms encountered. Experts say stress can make you feel more annoyed by your allergy symptoms. Because when under stress, people can feel as if nothing is going well, including their health. In other words, if you're feeling stressed for any reason, you may find yourself dealing with allergy symptoms that are worse than usual.
Another effect of stress on allergies is physical. Specifically, stress can make an allergic reaction worse. Experts think that stress hormones may increase the response of an already oversensitive immune system to allergens. So, trying to reduce stress is a way to improve your quality of life, as well as reduce allergy symptoms.

Treatment for allergies usually includes using an over-the-counter corticosteroid nasal spray, such as mometasone furoate (Nasonex) or fluticasone propionate (Flonase). Sprays help block the flow of chemicals that cause inflammation and allergies. Symptoms should begin to improve after 1 week of daily use, but it may take up to 3 weeks for the medication to take full effect.
Another common allergy medicine is an antihistamine, which counteracts the effects of chemicals in the body involved in allergic reactions. But some antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can cause drowsiness and increase the risk of falls. According to experts, the safest antihistamine options for older adults are prescription antihistamine sprays, such as azelastine (Astelin) and olopatadine (Patanase). They both help prevent symptoms and limit sleepiness.
To prevent watery eyes, doctors recommend over-the-counter antihistamine eye drops, such as ketotifen (Zaditor) and prescription olopatadine (Patanol).
In addition, to limit allergies, you should also actively avoid contact with allergens by closing windows, wearing masks when cleaning, avoiding going out when pollen counts are high, and cleaning ducts and filter of the air conditioner.
Another important thing is to reduce stress and psychological stressors. As a result, you will feel your quality of life improved. It is not clear whether reducing stress directly reduces clinical allergy symptoms, but there seems to be a mental-body connection when it comes to inflammatory diseases. So if you reduce stress, your stress hormone levels will also drop.

You can reduce stress with exercise, which stimulates the heart and lungs to pump blood, creating a relaxation response, thereby reducing blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen consumption, adrenaline levels and stress hormone levels straight cortisol. When running, people can breathe better because epinephrine floods the body. In addition, there are many ways to create the relaxation response, such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, and deep breathing exercises.
After weeks of sneezing, the body's immune system has been exhausted. At this point, going to bed and resting can help restore the body's resistance and is certainly a good stress reliever.
It should be noted, however, that we all perceive and respond to stressors differently. Therefore, inappropriate ways to relieve stress will affect your health and even impact allergy symptoms.
While reducing stress isn't the number one way to treat allergies, it can still be an important one. Think of stress as a contributing factor to your illness. Therefore, it is important to find ways to reduce psychological stressors to treat allergies.
With many years of experience in the examination and treatment of diseases, now Vinmec International General Hospital has become one of the major health care centers, capable of examination, screening and treatment. many serious diseases. Therefore, if you have a history of allergies and problems with stress and anxiety in your life, you can go to Vinmec International General Hospital to visit and receive support and advice from doctors. .

References: webmd.com, health.harvard.edu