“Allergy Fatigue” is real! If you’ve noticed that you seem more tired during allergy season, it’s not your imagination. Your body is truly more tired during a tough allergy season than other times of the year.

First, and one of the most common ways allergies affect your energy levels, is by disrupting your sleep. Your body’s immune response can send your nose running or get it so inflamed that it feels “stopped up.” In either case, your sleep is disrupted because you can’t breathe or you’re sleeping with a tissue stuck in your nose to stop it from running.

Also, your body is working overtime sending out histamines to fight off the pollen it thinks is attacking. While you don’t have a cold or a virus, your body’s immune reaction is no different. It is still in attack mode and is defending you with inflammation, lots of sneezing, eye watering, and nose blowing. All of this can wear you out.

Finally, most of the over-the-counter medications that help with allergy symptoms also cause drowsiness, or can. That means that even the things that are supposed to make you feel better are going to make you sleepy.

A few things you can do to help combat the drowsiness caused by your allergy symptoms are:

• Stay hydrated. A lack of sleep plus allergy medications can lead to dehydration, which will only make you feel more fatigued.
• Avoid your pollen triggers, if you can.
• Consider allergy drops! Talk to Dr. Hallett today to see if allergy drops are right for you!