Each year, thousands of Americans are affected by the triggers of seasonal allergies. The common indicators include watery eyes, runny nose, and sneezing. However, one of the most overlooked symptoms is dehydration.
Drier air and changing temperatures make it hard for the body to hydrate. As such, drinking water will not only flush the system. It can also eliminate foreign substances like allergens, which circulate in the body.
Indeed, drinking a good amount of water is important for your health. Staying hydrated can also help with allergy issues. Drinking extra fluids can help thin the mucus in the nasal passages and drain the sinuses.
Drinking caffeine and sodas can alleviate dehydration and not help solve allergies. As such, the goal is to drink at least 60 ounces of water each day. You can buy water bottles, subscribe to water delivery, or install water filters in your home.
This article will discuss dehydration and allergies and discover remedies for combating them at home.
Allergies and Dehydration
Do you have allergies? Allergies can be hereditary. They are common in children, but they can appear at any age. Sometimes, it can disappear and return later in your life.
No parents wanted to see their children suffer from allergies. Any child can develop allergies. However, they are common in children from families with an allergy history. Since the parents can’t control everything their child eats or gets exposed to, parents should focus on monitoring their child's symptoms.
Early identification of allergies can improve one’s quality of life and reduce the number of missed work or school days. If you suffer from allergies, consult an expert to identify the problems.
People with allergies suffer from a histamine reaction. The body produces histamines to combat dangerous pollutants, and the symptoms it experiences are its natural way of fighting harmful irritants such as pollen, mold, and dust.
Histamines can regulate the body's water supply whenever the body does not receive adequate water. Histamine production functions as a defense mechanism. It performs as such to preserve water in the body.
As such, when the body is dehydrated, histamine production increases. This enables the body to experience trigger symptoms similar to those of seasonal allergies.
Symptoms of Allergies
The common symptoms of allergies are the following:
- Itchy, blocked, or runny nose
- Sneezing
- Watery, itchy, and red eyes
- Chest tightness, cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath
- Asthma
- Red rash or hives
- Swollen eyes, tongue, lips, or face.
- Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, feeling sick
- Cracked skin, dry, or red skin
The symptoms may vary depending on the trigger and the contact. In rare cases, allergies can lead to anaphylactic shock or anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction. This can be life-threatening and needs medical attention immediately.
Kinds of Allergies
Allergic Rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common ailments caused by allergies. Some symptoms include an itchy nose, runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, and postnasal drip. You may experience red, itchy, watery eyes and chronic ear problems if you have allergies. Allergic rhinitis is also known as hay fever. However, hay does not always trigger it and does not cause fever.
Nasal Congestion
Allergies are one of the common causes of chronic nasal congestion, such as stuffy noses, in children. Sometimes, a child's nose is congested, and the child breathes through the mouth. This is true, especially when the child is sleeping. This causes the child to not sleep well and become tired the following day. Thus, early treatment of allergies, which cause nasal congestion, can prevent these problems.
Ear Infections
Allergies can cause ear inflammation and fluid accumulation, promoting ear infections and decreasing hearing. A child with impaired hearing can develop poor speech while learning to talk. Moreover, allergies can cause ear itching, fullness, and popping.
Food Allergies
In the United States, there are around 6 million children who suffer from food allergies. If a mother is breastfeeding, some infants can have allergic reactions to their mothers' food. As such, babies must be tested for allergies. Eliminating such foods from their mother’s diet may cure the child’s allergies.
All parents of a child with a food allergy must be aware of the potential anaphylaxis. This is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. It can impair breathing, drop blood pressure, and put the body into shock.
Preventing Dehydration and Allergies
It is best to prevent dehydration and allergies early on. Most sufferers of allergies and asthma try to modify their environment to help alleviate wheezing, sniffling, and sneezing.
Experts agree that we should reduce toxins and air pollutants inside the home. However, you can also test tap water sources to help prevent allergies and asthma attacks.
Here are some essential steps on how to do it:
Chemicals in the Water: Cause of Allergies
Testing your drinking water source can be beneficial if you or a family member has asthma allergies. Studies have shown that chlorine, a chemical added to tap water to kill bacteria, can worsen asthma in children.
However, chlorine in the water can trigger allergies and asthma. People with allergies are sensitive to chlorine fumes. The gases can build up in an enclosed container and irritate the lungs of adults and children. They can also cause irritations, dry skin, itching, rashes, and respiratory conditions.
In addition to chlorine, fluoride can also affect individuals with allergies and asthma. It is added to municipal water sources to help combat tooth decay in children, but it can also compromise the health of others. Studies have documented the effects of fluoride on people with allergies for many years.
Another chemical to blame is dichlorophenol, often used to make pesticides. It is also used to clean drinking water but can cause allergies.
Indeed, these purifying chemicals are interfering with our immune system. When the immune system identifies allergens, it will release antibodies to attack the substance, which leads to allergic symptoms.
Filtering Tap Water to Alleviate Symptoms of Allergy
If someone has asthma or allergies in your home, experts agree that you should consider filtering the water source. Many home water filters remove chlorine through reverse osmosis water filtration or a semi-permeable membrane.
This can successfully remove calcium, pesticides, and various hard water chemicals. Moreover, reverse osmosis water filters can remove fluoride from the tap water.
Alternatively, various whole-house water filters can remove all the chemicals from each faucet. Installing one in your bathroom and kitchen faucets can provide a completely purified bath and drinking water at your home.
Drink More Water
As discussed above, dehydration can be important in asthma and allergies. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, you must drink the right amount of water.
Experts believe that it constricts the airways because the lungs lack water vapor and make the lungs produce mucus. These two factors are the causes of an asthma attack.
Rehydrating your body can be challenging, as it has been in hydration preservation mode for too long. But you must stick with it!
Think about it this way. The more water you pour on the dry land, the more water the land will be absorbed and soften eventually. This is similar to your body. The more you drink water, the more accustomed your body is to hydration.
It is recommended that asthmatic people drink at least ten glasses of water daily. You can add a pinch of salt to water to regulate water intake. Avoid drinking coffee, as it can deprive the body of the necessary water.
No matter how enticing other liquids may be, there is no substitute for drinking water to hydrate the body.
The most important time to drink water is when you wake up. It is also ideal for drinking water between meals to aid rehydration and digestion.
Drink enough water each day. Rehydrating is the body consuming at least your body weight in ounces of water daily. You can increase this intake when exercising and the weather is hot.
You must also monitor your water consumption. Tracking your water consumption will give you an idea of how much water you drink daily, and it is one way to determine whether you drink enough water to hydrate your body.
Take note that water is important for your health. Staying properly hydrated will let your body react better to allergens. With this, high levels of histamines need not be produced because of the lack of water. Water is an important and inexpensive way to regulate allergies.
Here are other tips to prevent allergies in water:
Keep Showers Cool and Short
Long, hot showers can increase chemical absorption that lingers in the home water supply. Consider limiting the shower time. Use lukewarm water and turn off the water entirely as you shave or lather.
Choose Bottled Water
You can either invest in installing water purifiers in your home or buy bottled water, which is a safe alternative for drinking water on the go.
Limit Pool Time
Public pools are dependent on the use of chlorine to kill bacteria in the water. So, if you love swimming in the pool, you might want to limit your swim time. You can also treat your pools with non-chlorine chemical alternatives. Check pools with bromine or ionization processes. These pools rely on silver ions and copper to clean the water.
Distilled Water for the Humidifiers
Humidity in the air can improve your breathing. If you use a humidifier to sleep comfortably through the night, you must fill it with distilled water. The minerals in tap water can form deposits that promote bacterial growth. These can be released into the air and worsen your symptoms.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these methods will decrease toxins in the water and alleviate asthma and allergies. Several options are effective for individuals who are sensitive to water chemicals.
Indeed, understanding health effects is important. Now that you know the problems, you can take proper steps to reduce asthma and allergies and improve your health. Breathe well and breathe deeply. Today is a brand new day to start living well!
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