2020 has been full of stress. COVID-19 has rapidly changed our world over the course of a year. We have been socially isolated, lost friends and family, and taken financial hits as businesses have closed. There’s no shortage of ways our stress has been magnified this year, but your body might be showing it in a surprising way—through your allergies.
An emotion response
While stress itself doesn’t cause allergies, it can make them worse. Part of it is emotional. When you are stressed, you’re more sensitive to your emotions. This is why you might break down over your favorite brand of ice cream being unavailable, even though it’s ordinarily just a little sad.
In the case of your allergies, you might notice your symptoms much more due to being stressed. The sniff you’ve hardly thought about before becomes much more annoying and noticeable. Although your symptoms may not actually be any worse, they can feel worse, which can be just as bad.
Stronger Symptoms
Although part of worsening allergy symptoms is purely emotional, stress can also cause a stronger physical response. Scientists aren’t quite sure why this happens, but one theory is that stress hormones might increase allergic reactions in an attempt to keep the body safe.
These responses are real, and have been well documented. In one study, researchers evaluated medical students for allergies in a calm study session, versus right before an important exam. The students had more allergy symptoms before the exam than during normal study sessions. Similar research has also backed this up with pinprick tests on controlled subjects, and more general tests.
What you can do
The pandemic is stressful. There’s no way of changing how awful COVID-19 is at this point. What you can do is take steps to mitigate stress in your life to reduce the amount of stress you feel, and it will benefit almost every area of your physical health. Here are a few steps to stay calm during this difficult time.
Be prepared
If you’re concerned about catching COVID-19 or spreading it to your family, taking steps to mitigate risk can help reduce your stress. If you are washing your hands properly, wearing a mask in public, socially distancing, and taking other measures you are less likely to become infected.
Preparing for an emergency, whether that is saving up in case you lose your job or wearing a mask to prevent a disease, can reduce your stress levels by knowing you’ve done something about it.
Exercise
One of the best ways to boost your mental
and physical health is to exercise. 30 minutes of exercise can boost your mood, reduce your stress levels, and ease other mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety. You can magnify this by making your exercise an outdoor activity. Spending time in nature is also a proven way to combat stress and improve mental health.
Meditate
Another stress buster you can do without going anywhere is to simply meditate. Deep breathing exercises and meditation can go a long way to improving your mental health and reducing stress.
The pandemic may be contributing to your allergies indirectly, but it doesn’t have to. Staying aware and vigilant to focus on yourself during this time, along with these tips to reduce your stress can help you get through this difficult time.