Histamines worsen at night due to a combination of your body's natural circadian rhythm (histamine levels naturally rise overnight, peaking near morning), increased allergen exposure in the bedroom (dust mites, pet dander), and lying down, which causes mucus to pool and worsen congestion, creating a perfect storm for allergy symptoms. Stress hormones drop at night, and late-day exposure to airborne allergens (like pollen) builds up, leading to a "histamine dump".
To block nighttime histamine release, consider taking a non-drowsy antihistamine or an H2 blocker in the evening, as advised by your healthcare provider. Improving sleep hygiene, avoiding high-histamine foods at dinner, and managing stress can also reduce nighttime histamine surges.
Your body naturally releases more histamine at night as part of its circadian rhythm. This increased histamine production, combined with lying down (which can worsen congestion), often leads to more intense allergy symptoms during nighttime hours.
Medical Conditions
Autoimmune disorders affect immune system function, which might lead to more histamine being released (11). Another condition causing elevated histamine levels is mastocytosis, rare disorder involving abnormal mast cell growth—the cells that make and store histamine (12).
Currently, the only evidence-based strategy for alleviating or preventing symptoms is adherence to a low-histamine diet, often supplemented with exogenous DAO to enhance histamine breakdown at the intestinal level [8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16].
Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a very common and well-known nutrient to strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation. Vitamin C is also required to produce the necessary enzymes for the process of histamine breakdown, making it a vital anti-histamine nutrient.
A histamine dump can feel like sudden skin flushing, a rapid heartbeat, intense itching, or a headache. These symptoms can be distressing and may come on quickly, especially at night.
An unbalanced and elevated quantity of histamine in HIT seems to be the main consequence of the ingestion of histamine-containing foods [2]. Predominantly, in HIT, the intestinal enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) has a reduced ability to metabolize and degrade histamine.
Yes, magnesium helps regulate mast cell activity and can reduce histamine release. Does B12 stabilize mast cells? Yes, vitamin B12 supports nervous system health and may help stabilize mast cells, especially in MCAS patients with neurological symptoms.
Some research suggests that copper, vitamin B6, and vitamin C can help lower histamine levels. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet or starting supplements. They can help you choose foods, strategies, and supplements that won't interfere with other health conditions or medications.
Excess histamine can cause a variety of different symptoms which very often mimic allergic reactions. The most common symptoms are rashes (e.g. hives), itching, flushing, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), indigestion, breathlessness, palpitations, migraines, dizziness, anxiety/panic, joint aches and nasal congestion.
Improve Sleep Hygiene
Start by keeping your bedroom cool, as heat can trigger the release of histamine and disrupt your ability to fall or stay asleep. Washing your bedding frequently is also important—dust mites and other allergens that accumulate in sheets and pillowcases can contribute to increased histamine levels.
The Role of Histamine and Mast Cells in PMDD
It has been found to rise and fall with estrogen levels during the menstrual cycle, particularly just before ovulation and during the luteal phase.
Histamine levels are another potent downstream target. Allergic symptoms exacerbate during nighttime and plasma histamine levels exhibit nocturnal peaks. In mastocytosis patients, peak levels of plasma histamine were observed in the early morning with the lowest in the afternoon (19).
While no single "most powerful" natural antihistamine is definitively crowned, Quercetin is widely considered the top contender, acting by stabilizing mast cells to prevent histamine release, with Vitamin C and Stinging Nettle also being very effective natural options for allergy relief, often used in combination with Quercetin in supplements. Other beneficial natural remedies include probiotics, bromelain (pineapple), ginger, and turmeric for reducing inflammation and symptoms.
So if you suffer from histamine intolerance, you should prefer calmer sports such as strength training, Pilates or yoga. Interesting fact: Cardio training releases histamine and other inflammation substances, but the effect only takes temporary (up to 72 hours).
Vitamin B12 supports the methylation process—a biochemical pathway that helps the body detoxify and regulate histamine levels. When B12 is lacking, methylation slows down, leading to higher histamine concentrations in the blood.
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.
Signs of more severe magnesium toxicity (when your magnesium is too high) may include:
People with mastocytosis have an increased risk of developing a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction. This is known as anaphylaxis. The increased risk of anaphylaxis is caused by the abnormally high number of mast cells and their potential to release large amounts of histamine into the blood.
Optimize your sleep environment: Use hypoallergenic bedding, wash bedding regularly, and keep pets out of the bedroom. Follow a low-histamine diet: Avoid histamine-rich foods, especially in the evening, and focus on fresh, low-histamine options.
There is growing evidence of a role for histamine in the day-to-day responses to routine physical activity. In this context, aerobic exercise turns on pathway(s) that stimulate the de novo production of histamine and the release of histamine from resident mast cells within skeletal muscle tissue (1–3).
That would be for example a gastroenterologist if you have stomach or bowel problems, a dermatologist if you have skin problems, an allergologist or an immunologist, because they need to make sure that you don't have any other illness.
Too much histamine causes nausea, hives, itchy eyes, wheezing, and sneezing. Histamine intolerance happens when the digestive system can't break down histamines in the body, leading to too much histamine in your system. It may happen because of a gut condition or lack of diamine oxidase (DAO).
One of the most significant contributors to elevated histamine levels is the gut microbiome. Certain strains of intestinal bacteria are capable of producing histamine themselves by converting the amino acid histidine into histamine via an enzyme called histidine decarboxylase.