For the 26 percent of adults in the United States who suffer from seasonal allergies, spring on the ground is the time to forget about the winter shelter and go back to free air, as well as the start of the spring allergy season, of the dreaded symptoms that accompany them – nasal discharge, sighs, crying eyes – and fatigue, according to Jyothi Tirumalasetty, associate professor of medicine at Stanford University specializing in allergies and immunology.
However, deciphering whether fatigue is the result of allergies or something else –such as a cold, COVID-19 or even the simple change of time– can be complicated because many of the symptoms can be the same. Next, we offer you simple ways to distinguish them.
Pay attention to your symptoms
According to Tirumalasetty, allergies can indirectly cause fatigue because they make it difficult to sleep. It is possible that a nasal congestion or light wheezing prevent you from falling asleep, or maybe you wake up startled by coughing fits.
Congestion can also create a lot of pressure in the upper respiratory tract, which can cause fatigue, according to Joyce Yu, a pediatric allergologist and immunologist at the Irving Medical Center at Columbia University. “It sends a signal to the brain that says: ‘Oye, estoy agotado’”, explained Yu.
bad reasons
“If you are not a person who has coughs, wheezing, nasal discharge and phlegm, then you might not actually have allergies and your fatigue will go to something else”, says Yu.
Among the most common health problems that can cause fatigue are depression, lack of iron, thyroid problems and sleep apnea, according to Nina Mingioni, professor of medicine at the Thomas Jefferson University of Philadelphia.
Respiratory infections, such as the common cold or even COVID-19, can also cause fatigue, according to Tirumalasetty, along with other common symptoms of allergies, such as cough, headache and congestion or nasal secretion; however, the main symptoms that would distinguish allergies from these other conditions are the nose, eyes and ears. If you suffer from an infection of the upper respiratory tract, you may also have a fever, sore throat, inflamed ganglia and muscle pain, which in reality are not associated with allergies, it means Yu.
How sick are you?
Tirumalasetty commented that the duration of symptoms could be another indicator of what you are suffering from. “A normal cold disappears in two weeks”, she says, so if you feel bad for weeks or months, it is more likely that your symptoms are due to an allergy.
Beware of daytime drowsiness caused by medication
Because fatigue is a symptom and not a medical condition in itself, says Mingioni, there is no specific treatment for it. So, to treat it, “you almost always have to deal with the underlying problem”.
If the pressure of the paranasal sinuses caused by congestion causes you fatigue or other symptoms such as headache, you can treat yourself with over-the-counter anti-allergy medications, such as oral antihistamines, I explain Yu, but they have their pros and cons.
Oral antiallergics are effective in alleviating symptoms such as congestion, eating and snoring, but they have a major disadvantage and are the ones that cause drowsiness, if not Tirumalasetty. First-generation oral antihistamines, such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine) or Atarax (hydroxyzine), are more likely to cause drowsiness than second-generation ones, such as Claritin (loratadine) or Zyrtec (cetirizine), according to Yu.
Even the antihistamines that announce that they “do not cause sleep” can cause drowsiness in some people, says Tirumalasetty, which is why it is necessary to try several options until you find the allergy medicine that works for you.
That said, Yu added that “without a doubt it is much more beneficial to treat allergies than to avoid medications for fear of sedation effect”, at least according to your own experience in the treatment of patients. If your symptoms cause you fatigue because they keep you awake at night, the drowsiness caused by the medications could work in your favor.
Identify your detonators
Identifying the patrons of your symptoms could help prepare you for allergy season, commented Yu. For example, if you know that fatigue and other symptoms of allergy appear during spring, you can start collecting your medications a few weeks or months in advance.
“I think taking a diary is very useful”, says Tirumalasetty, even if you register the symptoms in your phone calendar, in a note application or in a physical notebook. An example of this could be something like: “I was at my brother’s house, where there are six cats, and now I feel comezón and tiredness”, she explained.
If you know which are the allergens that cause you problems, you can also review how pollen levels are across the country on a given day using online monitoring systems. Data from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology or from the Pollen.com site may be useful, suggested Tirumalasetty. When pollen levels are high, you can take preventive action, like taking an antihistamine before leaving the house, she concluded.
Another key strategy to minimize allergy symptoms is “do your home allergy test”, says Tirumalasetty. If you are allergic to octopus mites, you can use hypoallergenic bedding or mattresses, pillows and duvet covers “allergy-safe” that prevent octopus mites from entering your bedding and help reduce symptoms, say . To prevent the accumulation of dust and other possible irritants, Tirumalasetty says, be sure to “wash the sábanas once a week”. Try to avoid any animal to which you may be allergic, and if you have seasonal allergies, you can shower after you have been away and cleaning used clothing will help you to prevent much pollen or other allergens from entering your home.
When it comes to fatigue for any reason, says Mingioni, it is important to prioritize the habits that promote a good rest, such as going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, “keeping the rooms free of distractions” and limiting the use of the cell phone before going to bed. Rest is crucial to treating health problems, she added, whether due to stress, a cold or allergies.
