Can Allergies Impact My Sex Drive?

Ahh, seasonal allergies. Hay fever. Chronic allergic rhinitis. No matter what you call it, runny noses, stuffed-sinuses, and an inability to stop sneezing and itching does not add up to a good time. Allergic rhinitis, which is commonly referred to as hay fever,” impacts up to 40 percent of Europeans at some point in their life.

Unfortunately, the discomfort caused by this widespread allergic reaction to pollen may also be impacting your sex life. In a recent study published in the journal Allergy and Asthma Proceeding, 83% of the allergic rhinitis sufferers surveyed reported that their sexual activity was affected by their allergies at least sometimes, and around 17% said that allergies always, or almost always, impacted their sex life negatively.

While it may seem obvious that when you’re not probably not going to feel your sexiest when you’re not feeling well, it doesn’t make it any easier. Moreover, the side effects of over-the-counter allergy medicines taken to alleviate the annoying symptoms of hay fever can also make you feel less like having sex. Over time, and especially for people who suffer from severe seasonal allergies, this may seriously affect your sex life.

Although scientists aren’t able to cure allergies quite yet, there are some things that you can do to reduce your susceptibility to allergies and take steps to step out of the hay fever fog and back into your sexy self.

What You Eat May Exacerbate Seasonal Allergies

One thing that many people may be surprised by is the fact that what you eat may exacerbate your allergies. Even if you don’t normally have severe reactions when eating certain foods, these foods may “cross react” with other allergens to make your allergies especially unbearable.

Up to one in three people who are allergic to tree pollen may experience tingling in their mouths or an extra itchy throat, known as ‘oral allergy syndrome,’ after eating certain foods. This is because the proteins in pollens and fruits may cross-react to compound pollen allergies.

For example, tree pollen allergies may be exacerbated by foods like apples, almonds, apricots, celery, carrots, kiwi, cherries, peaches, parsley, and pears. If you’re allergic to grass, keep an eye out for fruits like melons, oranges, and tomatoes. If you do regularly ingest these foods, your best bet is to stick with something canned, well-cooked, or frozen. 

You Have Less Sex When You Feel Less Sexy

While the study cited above didn’t dig into the specific reasons why people with nasal allergies had less sex, it’s a pretty straight shot to conclude that hay fever symptoms can make you feel unsexy. After all, symptoms like a runny nose, teary eyes, and itchiness may make even something as simple and intimate as kissing feel unappealing.

When your general face feels uncomfortable, it’s difficult to want to make out, get intimate, and have skin-to-skin contact with somebody else – imagine how uncomfortable it is to give oral sex when you can’t breathe out of your nose, or how awkward it is to be on the receiving end and fight the constant urge to itch your face.

Allergy Meds May Not Help Either

Antihistamines – whether prescribed or OTC – are often what people reach for to relieve their seasonal allergies. However, the same mechanisms in antihistamines that alleviate allergy symptoms can also cause a less desirable effect on your sex life.

Antihistamines work by blocking the effect of histamines, which are produced through an immune response and cause all those uncomfortable symptoms, and are typically paired with decongestants to reduce swelling and make it easier to breathe through your nose.

Both these medications dry out the mucus in your body – and not just in your throat and sinuses. This means that over-the-counter cold and allergy formulas can dry out the mucus membranes in your vagina and mess with the delicate balance of your body’s natural lubrication system. 

Having sex when you’re not properly lubricated can result in a whole host of issues like bleeding, burning, pain, itchiness, and urinary tract infections, which is why it’s important to get properly lubed up when you’re getting down. Plus, allergy medications can make you drowsy, and for most of us who lead busy lives during the day, falling asleep right away – despite your best intentions – will put a serious dent in your sex life.

Minimizing Allergy Exposure

To keep from taking antihistamines until it’s absolutely necessary, you can take other precautions to minimize allergy exposure and reduce your symptoms:

• Keep your windows closed during early morning and evening, when pollen counts are the highest, and circulate the air inside with AC
• Change out of clothes you wear outside and put on clean, inside clothes
• Shower before bed to remove pollen from your skin and make you feel better before snuggling up with your partner
• Avoid hanging clothes outside, as pollen can stick to them
• Watch what you eat to avoid cross-reactions that exacerbate your allergies