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

“The all-or-nothing approach is never a good idea,” Seija says, because while some people can go cold turkey, it’s unrealistic to demand that everyone who drinks should quit forever. What people shouldn’t be doing is justifying their drinking because it’s supposed to be healthy, says Luis Seija, an internist and pediatrician at the University of Pennsylvania. That misconception is rooted in a 1992 paper that found that moderate wine consumption protected French people against heart disease—even though their diet included plenty of meat, oil and butter.

From Piña Coladas to Non-Alcoholic Beer: How a Former Trader Revolutionized the Brewing Industry

Finally, acetate is further broken down into water and carbon dioxide and, voila! Drinking plenty of fluids will help to thin out the mucus in your nose and make it less likely to trigger a sneeze. If you’ve ever wondered – why does my face get red when I drink – this could be why. In addition, rosacea can make your eyes feel itchy, dry and chronically irritated.

Why Does Wine Cause a Stuffy Nose?

Alcoholic drinks have a natural vasodilatory effect which expands blood vessels. Drinking alcohol seems to change the way the body metabolizes estrogen, leading to higher levels of the hormone. Researchers are still learning about exactly how alcohol affects hormones, according to the recent Surgeon General report.

Why Your Face Gets Beet Red When You Drink

Certain components of alcoholic beverages, such as histamines and sulfites, can act as triggers for allergy-like symptoms, including sneezing. 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. But not many people realize that there are many ingredients, additives, and preservatives within alcoholic beverages that can cause negative side effects. In some people, these reactions look like allergy symptoms even though they don’t have a true allergy to alcohol. Unlike alcohol intolerance, which is caused by an enzyme deficiency, an alcohol allergy is an immune system response to specific ingredients found in alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol-induced sneezing is a peculiar phenomenon that affects a small percentage of individuals. While the exact cause is not fully understood, several theories attempt to explain why some people experience this reaction. In this article, we will explore the possible reasons behind why you may sneeze after drinking alcohol. There is no evidence to suggest that specific types of alcohol are more likely to induce sneezing.

Can other triggers, such as temperature or emotions, contribute to alcohol-induced sneezing?

However, some individuals may find certain alcoholic beverages, such as wine or beer, more likely to trigger the sneezing reflex due to their individual sensitivities. You may be asking yourself this question if you’ve ever experienced facial flushing. On the surface, facial flushing might feel cosmetically embarrassing at most and may not come with any other dangerous symptoms.

If you find that certain foods make you sneeze, such as strawberries or why do you sneeze when you drink alcohol shellfish, try avoiding them before you drink. This will help to reduce the number of histamines in your system and make it less likely that they’ll trigger a sneeze. 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. Ok, so now that we’ve answered the question – why does my nose get stuffy when I drink? One study found that, six months after participating in Dry January, 40 percent of participants reported drinking less often and having fewer drinks, whereas 10 percent reported the opposite.

• Furthermore, it is important for winemakers to be aware of their own practices and processes in order to avoid introducing too much histamine into the wine during production.
• If you have any severe or painful symptoms after drinking alcohol, don’t just brush it off as alcohol intolerance.
• However, if you have alcohol intolerance, you must talk to your doctor about which alcohols are best for you to drink.
• Besides wines, fruits like bananas, kiwi, melons, and grapes can also contain sulfites, though in much smaller amounts.
• Many are exploring ways to cut back, including the Dry January Challenge or alcohol-free drinks.
• Though she has never been officially diagnosed and at first thought it was a “fluke,” Brown said she is sure she has an allergy to alcohol, which can put a crimp in anyone’s holiday celebrations.
• If you have ever felt nauseous or had a headache after drinking wine, there is a chance that you are sensitive to sulfites.

If drinking alcohol is unavoidable, try to limit your intake of low-alcohol beverages such as beer or wine. Red wine should be consumed in moderation – no more than one glass per day and avoid eating on an empty stomach. Lastly, always practice responsible drinking and take frequent breaks while consuming alcohol.

• 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.
• Additionally, if you are allergic to a specific grain, you will experience symptoms when consuming other food products containing that allergen, not just beer.
• Furthermore, it is important for anyone who suspects an allergy to red wine, to speak with their doctor to determine the cause and get an official diagnosis.
• Having a drink while getting together with family or friends is often part of many special occasions.
• Whatever the source, sneezing after drinking beer is a phenomenon that many people have experienced.
• In addition to histamine, sulfites can be found in wine and beer, which may also irritate allergies for some people.
• A number of experts have recommended revision of the guidelines toward lower amounts, as more studies have linked even moderate alcohol consumption to health risks.

While true beer allergies are rare, it is possible to be allergic to one of these ingredients. The study found that the effects of sulfites in wine can vary from mild to severe. The most common symptoms reported by those with sulfite sensitivity are nausea, headaches and skin rashes. In extreme cases, symptoms such as difficulty breathing and anaphylaxis have been reported. White wine has been around for centuries and is enjoyed by many people worldwide. It is typically lighter and sweeter than red wine, but some may find that it can cause sneezing or other irritation.