Coffee. It may be time to replace your morning coffee with decaf. Caffeine is naturally high in histamines, which can worsen hay fever symptoms. Excess caffeine may even cause liver congestion, making it even worse still, as well as causing other problems.
It's true— certain foods can in fact make your seasonal allergies worse. Alcohol, peanuts, sugar, processed foods, wheat, chocolate, and even your morning cup of coffee are known culprits that act as hay fever catalysts.
Although caffeine is known to have antiallergic effects, our case indicates that caffeine can be an allergen and cause anaphylaxis.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
Moreover, green tea and non-sugar-added juices are good fluids, helping you thin out mucus and drain it from irritated sinuses. However, stay away from alcohol, sugary beverages, caffeine, and smoking. Since these tend to dehydrate your system and clog already inflamed airways with thick mucus.
Coffee contains histamines in low amounts, but for people who are sensitive to them, it contains plenty to get a reaction out of them. While the natural histamine content in coffee is low, some coffee processes can increase histamine levels.
Is coffee an antihistamine? No, coffee is not an antihistamine, but it's generally considered to not be good for those with histamine intolerance.
Dissolve ¼ teaspoon salt in one cup of warm or room temperature water for flushing out allergens and mucus and for adding moisture to the sinuses. Dissolve ½ teaspoon salt in one cup of warm or room temperature water to draw fluid and inflammation out of the nasal membrane. This will help relieve stuffiness.
Antihistamines can help relieve sneezing, itching, a stuffy or runny nose, and watery eyes. Examples of oral antihistamines include cetirizine (Zyrtec Allergy), fexofenadine (Allegra Allergy) and loratadine (Claritin, Alavert). Corticosteroid nasal sprays. These medications improve nasal symptoms.
The histamines released during an allergy attack cause blood vessels to dilate, making eyes swollen and watery. For quick relief, try cold compresses or eye creams whose ingredients include caffeine; cold and caffeine both reduce swelling and help you look and feel better.
Research suggests that coffee does not cause inflammation in most people—even if your norm is more than one or two caffeinated cups. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Coffee may have anti-inflammatory effects in the body.
Coffee is high in histamine which can set off what looks like an allergic reaction but it doesn't occur through the typical allergy mechanism. Instead, the histamine from the coffee causes an inflammatory reaction that can be quite severe in some people.
"Tea, especially green tea, with or without caffeine, is very good for people with allergies," says Murray Grossan, MD, an ear, nose, and throat doctor in Los Angeles. Tea contains natural antihistamines, he says, which makes it a great addition to your diet to reduce allergy symptoms.
Is there any food or drink I need to avoid? You can eat normally while taking diphenhydramine. However, do not drink alcohol. If you are taking diphenhydramine to help you sleep, you should also try not to drink anything that contains caffeine, such as coffee, tea, cola or energy drinks.
Often, people grow accustomed to the allergens in their area and develop a tolerance. If you have recently moved to a new state or region, then you are exposing yourself to new allergens that you did not grow up around, which may cause reactions.
Unfortunately, honey does not help with allergies.
Bees eat nectar and gather pollen produced by brightly colored flowers. These are not the same pollens responsible for most allergies (trees, grasses, and weeds).
Adding to the complexity of these conditions' relationship with the immune system, though, is that while allergies are not in themselves indicators of a weak immune system, ongoing allergies that are not treated effectively may serve to weaken the immune system over time.
Allergies can worsen over time because, as you age, your immune system changes. Sometimes it can become intolerant to allergens it used to tolerate. Seasonal allergies can also be worse due to climate change. Climate change has lengthened pollen season, making seasonal allergies last longer.
Do allergy symptoms get worse at night? Yes, allergy symptoms get worse at night. This can happen because laying down increases congestion, you're allergic to things in your bedroom like dust mites, and you're more aware of symptoms when you don't have daytime distractions.
High Histamine Foods
Fruit: Citrus fruits, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, pears. Vegetables: Eggplant, avocado, tomatoes, olives, beans. Dairy: Cheese, yogurt, processed cheese.
Coffee: Coffee is known to increase histamine release which can exacerbate hay fever symptoms. Coffee also increases inflammation, dilating blood vessels which can result in the red, itchy and inflamed skin rash sometimes associated with hay fever type allergies.
Try not to drink alcohol while taking an antihistamine, particularly if it's a type that makes you drowsy, as it can increase the chances of it making you feel sleepy. Food and other drinks do not affect most antihistamines, but check the leaflet that comes with your medicine to make sure.