Why Do I Sneeze When I Drink Alcohol?

It is important to consult with your doctor for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Your doctor may recommend avoiding foods and beverages containing alcohol, taking medication before consuming alcoholic drinks, or other treatments depending on the cause of your symptoms. If your symptoms are caused by sinus problems, you may need to see an allergist or immunologist for tests and treatments. While alcohol intolerance itself is not a true allergy, the symptoms may be triggered by an allergic reaction to ingredients in alcoholic beverages, such as chemicals, grains, or preservatives. Combining alcohol with certain medications can also lead to similar reactions.

Spirits such as vodka and gin can also cause sneezing due to the presence of histamines. In addition, some people find that the alcohol in these drinks irritates their nose, leading to sneezing. This dilation occurs first in the brain, so you may feel flushed or warm after only a few sips of alcohol. The dilation then extends to blood vessels throughout your body, including those in your nose. The definitions for a drink in the US are the common serving sizes for beer (12 ounces), wine (5 ounces), or distilled spirits/hard liquor (1.5 ounces). And not so long ago there was general consensus that drinking in moderation also came with health advantages, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Causes of Stuffy Nose on Drinking Alcohol & Ways to Get Rid of it?

However, to eliminate them completely, it is necessary to avoid consuming red wine altogether. “Alcohol and sulphites tend to evaporate away during cooking, so the potential for intolerances is certainly reduced,” Dr Watts says. However, if you’re allergic to an ingredient found in certain alcoholic drinks, dishes which contain that drink are not safe to eat.

• There is no surefire way to prevent alcohol-induced sneezing, but individuals can try to minimize exposure to triggers such as allergens, intense temperature changes, or known sensitivities.
• It’s not hard to imagine that experiencing a pounding headache after a pint of beer can really detract from enjoying your night sneezing after drinking alcohol out with friends.
• Tannins are more abundant in red wines but can also be present in white wines too.
• If your symptoms are caused by sinus problems, you may need to see an allergist or immunologist for tests and treatments.
• So, Dr Sim urges anyone who knows they’re allergic to certain foods, particularly grains, to be aware they could be in drinks, too.
• The enzyme diamine oxidase breaks down histamine that people consume from foods and beverages.
• It is important to seek medical advice as soon as possible if you experience any of these symptoms after drinking wine.

People with this deficiency metabolize acetaldehyde slowly, leading to its buildup. ADH enzyme variants are another cause of alcohol intolerance, altering the structure and function of aldehyde dehydrogenase. An allergic reaction might not occur the first time a person encounters an allergen. However, they can come on suddenly, and a person could develop an alcohol allergy at any point in their life. For many individuals, alcohol-induced sneezing is indeed temporary and subsides soon after consuming alcohol.

If sneezing impacts your quality of life, talk to your doctor about ways to reduce or eliminate the problem. Applying a cold compress to your nose will help to soothe the mucous membranes in your nose and reduce inflammation. Rinsing your nose with salt water or a saline solution will help to soothe the mucous membranes in your nose and reduce inflammation. You can expect to hear about more research, debate, and controversy in the near future regarding the potential risks and benefits of drinking, and how much — if any — is ideal. Assessing the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption remains an active area of research that may lead to major changes in official guidelines or warning labels. Alcohol has long been considered a “social lubricant” because drinking may encourage social interaction.

• Alcohol allergies are rare, but if you do have one, it doesn’t take much to trigger a reaction.
• Thanks for reading and we hope this post has helped to provide some clarity on the matter.
• The definitions for a drink in the US are the common serving sizes for beer (12 ounces), wine (5 ounces), or distilled spirits/hard liquor (1.5 ounces).
• The key, according to Seija, is not to do Dry January just to go binge drinking on February 1 but to perhaps find a new drinking pattern that feels comfortable and sustainable.
• Some people may be more sensitive to the histamines in red wine than others, which can lead to inflammation in the nose and sinus cavities.
• It is usually caused by genetic variations in the ALDH2 gene, which produces the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol.
• These limitations make it hard to know how much to rely on studies that find health risks (or benefits) to alcohol consumption.

Sneezing When You Drink Wine? 5 Common Culprits and How to Avoid Them

Finally, the taste of red wine itself can also cause sneezing in some people. This is due to chemicals present in the taste buds that are activated by certain flavors or odors. Some of these chemicals can stimulate the production of histamines, which can lead to sneezing. To avoid this situation, it is important to drink wines with a flavor that does not cause an allergic reaction in the body.

General Health

But without enough of this enzyme, you can end up having too much acetaldehyde in your body, and this makes alcohol reach toxic levels much earlier in your cells. Dermatologist Alok Vij, MD, explains just what causes facial flushing, along with some truth behind some common misconceptions. Histamines can be found in wine, as they are produced when yeast is used to ferment grapes. For these reasons, it is important for winemakers to be aware of the possible effects that histamines may have on some people. As such, The TTTB has proposed a change to the labeling requirements which will require winemakers to list any ingredients that may contain histamines on the label. Research suggests that up to 10 percent of asthmatics are sensitive to sulphites, with the severity of reactions varying from mild to life-threatening.

Red wines generally have higher histamine content than white wines, with levels ranging from 60 to 3,800 micrograms per litre in reds and 3 to 120 micrograms per litre in whites. This effect can also make you feel hot when you drink alcohol, but it can also lead to short-term nasal congestion. The blood vessels around your nasal cavity can expand, making it a bit more difficult to breathe normally. Read on to uncover the science behind the stuffy nose phenomenon as well as key strategies to prevent it from becoming an inevitable side effect of drinking alcohol.

Prevention

Additionally, individuals with alcohol intolerance may experience a rapid heartbeat, nasal stuffiness, and congestion. Research shows that around 8% of people experience symptoms like nasal congestion, flushed skin, or even headaches while drinking wine. If any of this sounds familiar to you, you might be sensitive to one of wine’s many components. The good news is that once you identify the triggers, there are ways to reduce or even prevent these reactions, without having to ditch wine altogether. Alcohol can worsen your difficulty breathing through your nose, so it’s important to be mindful of how much you consume.

Alcohol and cancer: A growing concern

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. People with a beer allergy will likely experience symptoms similar to other allergic reactions, such as abdominal i sneeze when i drink alcohol pain, bloating, and chest tightness.

Listen to your body

Beer and wine, in addition to being high in histamine, can aggravate a runny nose or nasal congestion. Histamine intolerance can be managed by taking antihistamines, which help the body process the excess histamine. However, it is important to choose non-drowsy antihistamines, especially if planning to continue daily activities. Additionally, it is advisable to refrain from further alcohol consumption for the day to prevent exacerbating symptoms. Benadryl (diphenhydramine), a commonly used antihistamine, should be avoided due to its sedative effects, which can increase drowsiness and impair cognitive functions when combined with alcohol. Histamine intolerance occurs when an individual has too much histamine in their body.