Why Does Wine Cause a Stuffy Nose?

While the body naturally produces histamine, we also consume it through food and drinks that are rich in histamines, including cheese, wine, meats, fish, and fermented foods. While alcohol can help you fall asleep faster, it has a negative effect on sleep quality and duration. This is why people who drink alcohol at bedtime (especially in excess) may fall asleep quickly, but they are also more likely to experience fatigue and insomnia in the long run. Alcohol increases your risk of breast cancer because it causes an increase in estrogen levels, and damages DNA, which can lead to the development of cancer cells.

Symptoms

When ALDH is absent from your body, too much of histamine will circulate in blood which leads to problems like inflammation. Your nasal chambers can fall prey to inflammation and itching leading to and problems related with stuffy nose or sinus congestion. You may get stuffy nose owing to the presence of some preservatives in alcohol.

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Make sure you avoid alcohol intake with any other medications, as there can be interaction between the two. This too, can trigger allergic reactions causing stuffy nose when you drink alcohol. Alcohol consumption can lead to a stuffy nose due to the effect it has on your body. Alcohol is metabolized by enzymes in your liver, which convert ethanol into acetaldehyde. These chemicals cause inflammation in the mucous membranes of your nose and sinuses, leading to congestion and a stuffy feeling.

Medical Professionals

• If drinking from a glass makes you sneeze, try drinking through a straw instead.
• The online discussions on this phenomenon range from catching a closet drinker in the act to a life-threatening allergy situation (please, carry an epi-pen in this case).
• Researchers estimate that 8% of the world’s population has a defective ALDH2 gene.
• Occasionally, a doctor may ask a person to consume alcohol in a medical setting and observe any reactions or symptoms.
• Another helpful tip is to opt for histamine-low foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, or fermented products like yogurt or kefir.
• If you experience this particular symptom, it’s important to seek medical advice before drinking alcohol again.
• Alcohol is not the only category of food/drink that can affect allergies in this way.

Having sluggish ALDH2 enzymes, or lower levels of it altogether, is ultimately the product of having genetic variation in your ALDH2 gene. Specifically, genetic changes that make your corresponding ALDH2 enzyme bad at its job. What’s more is that this genetic variation can be passed down from parent to child, making alcohol intolerance an inherited condition. But alcohol tolerance is more complicated than just being “a lightweight” or not. In fact, alcohol intolerance is a metabolic disorder that doesn’t have anything to do with how many drinks you can down before your beer goggles switch on. Your body holds on to the nutritive parts of what you eat and drink, but, otherwise, what goes in must also come out.

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People who drink red wine may be more prone to dehydration than those who don’t, as alcoholic drinks can increase the body’s need for fluids. Therefore, it is important to stay hydrated when drinking alcohol by having a glass of water between drinks and avoiding caffeine or carbonated beverages. Histamine-induced reactions occur when an individual is sensitive to histamines naturally found in wine. These reactions may cause inflammation of the skin, throat and airways, leading to difficulty breathing.

If you’re allergic to alcohol, you may experience hives, itching, swelling, difficulty breathing, and wheezing. If you experience these symptoms after drinking alcohol, you must see a doctor as you may need to be treated for an allergy. It is important to be aware of any symptoms you may experience after consuming alcohol. While it can sometimes be harmless, there are times when the underlying cause could be more serious.

Those with allergies may experience sneezing, itching, and other respiratory symptoms when exposed to red wine. To avoid experiencing such allergic reactions, it is important to consult with a doctor and identify any allergies before drinking red wine. Dr. Adkinson recommends that people who are prone to alcohol-related allergic reactions should avoid consuming these fruits as well as alcoholic beverages containing sulfites. He adds that the chances of having an adverse reaction to those foods or drinks is one out of every hundred. While the risk is low, those who experience such reactions sneeze when drinking alcohol should reduce or avoid alcohol and sulfite-containing foods altogether. If you experience any of these reactions after drinking red wine, it could be a sign that you are intolerant or allergic to alcohol.

• In general, red wines typically have higher sulfite concentrations than white wines.
• So the next time you are feeling unwell after a drink, pay close attention—your body might be trying to tell you something important.
• Because the body can’t break down alcohol, it’s toxic byproducts flood the system and accumulate with each drink you have.
• Tannins are more abundant in red wines but can also be present in white wines too.
• Dr. Adkinson recommends that people who are prone to alcohol-related allergic reactions should avoid consuming these fruits as well as alcoholic beverages containing sulfites.

If you think you might be allergic to wine, it is important that you seek medical attention right away. Your doctor or allergist will likely perform a skin test in order to determine what component of wine you are allergic to. Once the allergen has been identified, your doctor can help you develop a plan of action to manage your allergy in the future.

Doing a test can confirm or deny the actual cause of the alcohol intolerance. As you can imagine, this can turn quite dangerous if the dizziness is severe. If you experience this particular symptom, it’s important to seek medical advice before drinking alcohol again. Another common symptom you may experience is a stuffy nose or nasal congestion. This happens because body is not able to tolerate the alcohol which circulates in blood. Additionally, the preservatives used in alcohol too can be harsh on your stomach, increasing the chances of allergic reactions causing stuffy nose or sinus congestion.