Allergies can be scary, people have awful effects because of them. This can ultimately affect their bodies and health. Besides all of the effects on our bodies, it can also affect our brain. This can affect our mental health and make allergies a problem for us in the future if you haven’t already made changes to make these affect you less.
What are allergies?
Allergies are known to cause reactions in your body to certain food or substance. There are common allergies and they are most common in children. Adults can get allergies too. Allergies can cause bad or mild reactions in the body. Allergies occur because a person’s immune system may become hypersensitive to a foreign object or substance.
There are many allergies but there are main allergies such as; Milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. These are just a small amount of allergies and there are food allergies. There are allergies such as an allergy to dog fur, bee venom, spider or bug bite, pollen, and medications. You can just touch something and be affected.
Signs you may have an allergy
You may find that you touch something and it causes an allergic reaction. Typically, most allergic reactions develop a few minutes after being exposed to the substance you are allergic to. Some can develop after a few hours. Know that even if you have an allergic reaction and it can be annoying and get in the way of normal activities, most effects are mild.
The main signs of allergies can be a mixture of many things. You may find yourself sneezing with an itchy, runny, or blocked nose. This is similar to a cold symptom but it is known as allergic rhinitis. You may get Itchy, red, and watery eyes which is known as conjunctivitis. After being exposed to the thing you are allergic to you may find you break out into a red, raised rash. This rash is known as Hives. Dry, red, and cracked skin is another symptom. There are some bigger effects such as wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath mixed with a cough. Swelling in the lips, tongue, and eyes. Finally, tummy pain, feeling sick, vomiting, or diarrhea. If you think you have an allergy, you should see your doctor.
All symptoms are different, it is depending on what you are allergic to which also will decide the severity of the symptoms. Still, most are mild. It’s important to get checked out with your GP if you think you have an allergy. This is because they can determine if you had an allergic reaction or if it’s caused by something else.
How allergies can affect your mental health
There is a known connection between mental health and allergies, some say allergies may be the cause of some anxiety and depression. The known cause of this is unknown but some say it could be because of the way allergies affect the brain. It could also be the allergy medications that cause the connection or could be the reason why your mental health declines or gets better. Whatever the reason, it has been shown that mental health is affected by allergies.
Known positive effects allergies can cause on your mental health
As far as I have researched there aren’t many positive effects on your mental health caused by allergies. More positive effects are caused by the treatment because they can lead to relief from the reactions caused by your allergies. This relief can help you to finally feel calmer. Having the treatment can make it less likely for triggers of sadness and depression along with any anxiety or feelings of anxiousness.
Known negative effects allergies can cause on your mental health
The most common mental health issues with allergies or caused by allergies are anxiety and depression. Allergies can make you feel nervous and irritated, this can really trigger your mental health problems. According to researchers, people living with common allergies can be at a higher risk of developing mental health issues. Common allergies can be things such as asthma, hay fever, atopic dermatitis, etc. These have been known to cause a person to develop bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and neuroticism.
Allergies have an irritating effect, especially if the symptom is itchiness, blocked nose, or anything along those lines. This affects us by making it harder for us to sleep due to the irritated feeling and the anxiety caused by it. You may find you are more agitated because of this and very easily aggressive or snappy even if you don’t mean it.
Allergies make anxiety worse because they cause your body to release more anxiety-triggering hormones. This is because allergies can cause a poor quality of life or a feeling of that. The physical symptoms can cause panic attacks and contribute to the anxiety becoming worse in the future if you don’t get treatment for your allergies.
Effects allergies can have on the brain
I have heard from a few friends that when they have allergies they may cause brain fog. What is brain fog? Confusion, thinking slower than normal, and fuzzy thoughts. This means you are slower than normal because your allergies have caused your brain’s cognitive function to decrease significantly. These functions will continue to diminish the longer you are being affected by the reactions of your allergies. It is important to get this looked at because it can lead to inflammation, dizziness, fatigue, and it becomes harder to concentrate and focus.
