THE stuffy nose and itchy, watery eyes are cornerstones of spring allergies — but they’re not the only symptoms that signal an influx of pollen for some people. You may not immediately suspect a throbbing headache allergy is the cause, but according to experts, this is a common phenomenon.
In fact, the same immune response that fills your nose with snot or makes you sneeze in a storm can make your head throb. This is especially true “if you have multiple seasonal allergies, such as to grass and tree pollen; live near farms, or spend a lot of time outdoors during allergy season because you’re bombarded with pollen.” Beth Oller, MDa family physician in Stockton, Kansas, tells SELF. Read on to learn why allergies can cause headaches, how to tell if your headache is allergy-related, and how to find relief.
Why can allergies cause headaches?
If there is spring allergy and breathe in pollen, “your immune system perceives it as a foreign invader,” says Dr. Oller, and releases a bunch of inflammatory chemicals like histamine. The received inflammation causes swelling in the nasal cavities, which are connected to the sinuses, Rekha Raveendran, MDan allergist and immunologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF. The sinuses extend behind the cheekbones, the eyes and the bridge of the nose, all the way to the forehead, so when they are swollen, it can cause a feeling of pressure in the face and headaches, she explains.
At the same time, you may be experiencing the effects of spring allergies triggers migraine attacks in migraine sufferers. There may be a spike in inflammation and congestion irritates a nearby nerve which plays a role in migraines and can also cause allergy-induced fatigue and insomnia migraine triggers by themselves. Research suggests that that among migraine sufferers, those with allergies have worse and more frequent attacks than those without.
How to determine whether it is an allergic headache or another type?
An allergy headache usually feels like a dull throbbing in your temple, face, or forehead and makes your face feel heavy. According to Dr. Oller, this is associated with congestion, and lying down or tilting your head can increase the pressure. (FYI: This is the same type of pain as a sinus headache, which is caused by a viral or bacterial infection in the sinuses—both of which cause mucus and swelling in the sinuses.)
On the contrary migraine attacks (regardless of whether they are triggered by an allergy or not) cause severe pain on one side of the head. They are often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound, which is not usually seen in allergy headaches, says Dr. Raveendran. Meanwhile, a tension headache feels more like a band tightening around the head, and a cluster headache causes pain in or around one eye.
