When you experience sneezing, watery eyes, and a runny nose, you may not make the connection between these daytime allergy symptoms and lack of sleep at night. But the combination of the two can cause fatigue and other health problems. An allergic reaction can also release chemicals in the body that lead to fatigue. For the estimated 26 percent of adults in the United States who suffer from seasonal allergies, spring brings with it the start of the spring allergy season and its dreaded symptoms: runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and fatigue.
But it can be difficult to determine if tiredness is due to allergies or something else, such as a cold, COVID-19, or even just the change of clocks. Here are some ways to differentiate them all. Respiratory infections, such as the common cold or even COVID-19, can also cause fatigue along with other common allergy symptoms like cough, headache, and nasal congestion or runny nose. However, the main symptoms that would differentiate allergies from these other conditions are itchy nose, eyes, and ears.
If you have an upper respiratory infection, you may also have a fever, sore throat, swollen glands and muscle aches that aren't really related to allergies. It may not seem obvious, but allergies can cause severe fatigue in addition to other frustrating symptoms. They can drain your body's energy and prevent you from sleeping well at night, leaving you feeling exhausted and confused during the day. Constantly feeling fatigued from fighting allergies can greatly affect your quality of life.
If you're tired of allergies making you feel tired, see an expert otolaryngologist who can help you recover restful nights and days with a clear mind. If allergies are really the source of your fatigue, treating them is the best way to treat fatigue. However, instead of the allergy itself causing fatigue, there are a number of allergy symptoms that could leave you feeling exhausted. After performing an allergy test in the office or at home to diagnose allergies, consider what allergy treatment option might work best to treat fatigue and eliminate other symptoms.
A key sign that your fatigue may be caused by allergies is if you have other allergy symptoms at the same time. While allergy medications alleviate symptoms in the short term and often lose their effectiveness if overused, immunotherapy is a longer-term approach to treating allergy fatigue. They can also perform an accurate allergy test to find out exactly what allergies you have and how severe each one may be. Anti-allergic drops are just as effective but they can be easily applied from home with daily drops under the tongue making them one of the best ways to control and eliminate allergies that cause fatigue.
