Depression: the invisible side-effect of seasonal allergies

By: Gabbi Di Marino, fellow allergy sufferer and content manager

Although you might not make the connection right away, your allergies could be affecting a lot more of your life then you realize. For the lucky ones whose symptoms never go beyond a stuffy nose, you probably don’t notice that much of a difference in your day to day activities, but for those of us (myself included) whose allergies get so bad at times that they can’t get out of bed, our lives tend to change a whole lot. In fact, seasonal allergies have actually been linked to higher rates of depression and even suicidal behavior. But how can allergies, a condition that, on the surface, may seem so trivial, affect our mental health? 

Why living with allergies can be mentally debilitating

If you’re a person with a chronic condition, even if it isn't seasonal allergies, then this information probably isn’t news to you, but for the many who don’t have an underlying medical issue to deal with, it may be hard to imagine the effects that even non-visible health issues  can have on your life. Chronic conditions of all kinds (yes, even seasonal allergies) can force you to limit what you do A LOT, and it’s more than just cancelling long-awaited dinner plans and weekend getaways (which is horrible and isolating in itself). Obligations like going to work also become impossible, and I don’t think I have to explain why that’s such a huge problem. 

It’s no wonder that one of the most common causes of clinical depression is physical illness. And seasonal allergies are no exception to this. Although they’re often trivialized, symptoms of hay fever can be physically and mentally debilitating. Personally, I’ve experienced just how burdensome allergies can be last year.  Between my body forcing me to cancel work multiple times and being bedridden on devastatingly gorgeous summer days, allergies made me miss out on time I’ll never get back. It may sound a bit dramatic, but it’s the truth. And I’m not alone in this either. Studies have shown that seasonal allergies (apart from the other nagging symptoms like congestion, runny nose, and itchy eyes) have also been linked to decreased productivity at work or school, memory deficits, excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, sleep disorders like insomnia, and the topic of this post: depression. 

But why? Well, when feeling under the weather becomes your new normal, any good days that you may have can be overshadowed by the time you spend in misery. There is a strong connection between physical health and mood, and although that may seem obvious in hindsight, not many are aware of just how powerful that connection really is. So, when seasonal allergies have got you down physically for long periods of time, and maybe even incessantly, it’s only natural that your mood would start to match how your body feels:  exhausted. 

If you didn’t take seasonal allergies seriously before, I hope this post helps you gain a better understanding of just how burdensome this condition can be. 

For those with bad seasonal allergies, what do you do to get you through the particularly rough days?