Which hayfever remedy is best?
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Take the test now!In this piece our Hayfever Advisor Louise Baillie explains why hayfever can cause fatiue, plus, from herbal to home remedies, she offers plenty of tips to help you deal with the problem.
Fatigue can be described as a persistent or prolonged feeling of exhaustion. It is a common symptom linked to a variety of medical conditions, such as viral infections like the flu or common cold.
Many people will not immediately associate their feelings of drowsiness with their seasonal allergies, yet hayfever can play a defining role in instigating symptoms of fatigue, either by exhausting our nervous system or disturbing our sleep with relentless side-effects, such as congestion, headaches or itchy coughs.
There are many ways that hayfever can cause fatigue, though the usual culprit is the chemical known as histamine.
Histamine primarily acts as a guardian of sorts for your immune system, protecting it from potential invaders. This is why histamine is stored in areas of the body that are vulnerable to ‘attack’, such as the nose, mouth, our stomach and even your blood. When the immune system identifies pollen as an alien threat, histamine is released in large quantities to fight the potential menace.
This can lead to inflammation when your blood flow is increased to allow infection fighting cells to leak out of our blood vessels, triggering a string of common hayfever symptoms such as congestion, blocked nose, earache or headache.
These unpleasant afflictions then have the potential to disrupt your sleep patterns - it is difficult to wake up in a bright and bubbly mood when you’ve spent the night coughing into your pillow or wondering if you’ll ever be able to stop rubbing your eyes. This rapid outburst of histamine can also exhaust your nervous system.
The adrenal glands produce a hormone known as cortisol, which can limit the level of inflammatory reactions in the body. The more histamine that is released the more the adrenals have to work to compensate, which can place them under a great deal of stress. When the adrenals become fatigued, this can lower your immune system and make you feel more tired than usual.
The final nail in the coffin as far as fatigue and hayfever is concerned is the effect of conventional medicines used for treating hayfever symptoms. The most commonly prescribed anti-histamines are known to cause feelings of drowsiness and lethargy, and normally come with a warning about the associated side-effects. This can then prolong feelings of sleepiness, turning hayfever into a bitter cycle of exhaustion.
Almost everyone is probably familiar with the grogginess that can accompany a bad night of sleep. When you feel tired, you are generally less aware of your surroundings and most of your energy is focused on keeping yourself awake and upright. This can lead to symptoms such as:
Fatigue occurs when these feelings of tiredness become more persistent, affecting you on a daily basis. This can be a cause for concern as continuous fatigue can make you more susceptible to viral infections and usually has a negative impact on your general wellbeing, influencing our psychological and physical welfare.
It is important to acknowledge that other hayfever symptoms might be triggering your fatigue, so it is best to try and treat them first but here are a few suggestions about how to combat feelings of tiredness.
When trying to treat your hayfever induced fatigue, you must have an understanding of what it is that is causing your exhaustion. If other hayfever symptoms, such as congestion or coughing are keeping you awake at night, then it would be wise to try and treat them first.
Your doctor or pharmacist is more likely to recommend anti-histamines as a first measure against inflammation. If this is what is causing your drowsiness, it might be worth looking into second generation anti-histamines, such as loratadine or cetirizine, which are less likely to cause lethargy and tiredness. Remember to talk to your doctor about any changes you may be experiencing or if your hayfever symptoms are getting worse.
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