Have you started dreading bedtime? Are you desperate for a good sleep, uninterrupted by night sweats, a pounding headache, or unbearably itchy skin?
If this rings true for you, it’s possible you have histamine intolerance and are suffering from symptoms of a histamine attack at night.
While histamine is best known for its involvement in allergic reactions, and is a critical compound that is released by your immune cells, when levels become imbalanced, it can lead to a problem called histamine dump. This phenomenon typically occurs at night and can significantly disrupt your sleep and quality of life.
Here, we will discuss what happens when your histamine levels rise while you’re asleep, why it happens, and how to stop histamine dump at night.
What Is a Histamine Dump?
A sudden, excessive release of histamine in the body is referred to as a histamine dump or histamine attack. It can happen at any time of the day, but it is most common - and disruptive - at night, interfering with sleep and leaving you feeling exhausted and unwell the next day.
Normally, histamine release is triggered when your immune cells encounter a possible threat, such as bacteria, a virus, or an allergen. It alerts your defense system, readying it for attack (1). This histamine is then rapidly broken down after it has been used, keeping your body's levels within a certain, tolerable range.
In those with histamine intolerance, and those living with the symptoms of histamine intolerance, it's because histamine is not broken down after the initial reaction. Low amounts of the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) is the most common cause.
Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a bucket being filled with water. It can only hold so much before it begins to overflow. The same concept applies to histamine! As histamine accumulates, your system becomes overloaded, and this 'overflow' of histamine leads to a range of bodywide symptoms.
But why are histamine attacks more common at night?
Histamine and Sleep: Understanding the Connection
The relationship between histamine and sleep is complex and bidirectional. In other words, your sleep pattern affects your histamine levels, and vice versa.
Histamine plays a crucial role in regulating your circadian rhythm, which is your 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. Histamine is a key chemical messenger, also known as a neurotransmitter, that promotes wakefulness. And it's why blood histamine levels should peak in the early hours of the morning, and be at their lowest in the afternoon and evening (2).
As the histamine levels rise again after midnight, getting ready for the morning peak, it accounts for the more intense allergic reactions you experience at this time. You may be going through a histamine dump, causing you to wake up and experience symptoms ranging from headache to congestion, high blood pressure or hives.
Histamine Dump at Night: Symptoms and Signs
The symptoms of a histamine attack at night are the same as at any other time of day. However, due to the higher histamine levels, peaking at this time, they can come on more suddenly and be more intense. Common nighttime symptoms include:
- Sudden awakening, often with a racing heart
- Intense itching or flushing of the skin
- Nasal congestion or runny nose
- Headache or migraine
- Nausea or abdominal pain
- Difficulty breathing or wheezing
- Anxiety or a feeling of unease
Your day-night cycle is not the only reason histamine levels are high at night. Factors that affect histamine release during the day are active after dark too.
Causes of Histamine Release at Night
Eating a high-histamine meal for dinner can result in a histamine dump at night. Meals that contain aged cheeses, fermented foods, shellfish, and certain fruits, for example, can overload your system with histamine. Eating other foods that trigger the body's own release of histamine at the same time, can further worsen the problem.
Environmental allergens can also be an issue. If you are allergic to pollen, dust mites, or have a mold infestation in your house, your histamine bucket can be chronically high, and cause the overflow while you're trying to sleep (3).
A less obvious cause of elevated histamine levels is stress. When levels of the stress hormone cortisol are high, your body’s “fight or flight response” is activated. The nervous system then triggers the immune system, and you have a histamine reaction.
Lastly, underlying health conditions may contribute to histamine intolerance and a flare up of your symptoms. These include mast cell disorders, gastrointestinal issues like small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and hormonal imbalances (4,5,6).
So, now that you know all about why you're having a histamine dump at night, you may be wondering what you do about it!
Diagnosing Histamine Dump at Night
Talk to a healthcare provider experienced in histamine conditions if you suspect you have a problem with histamine release at night. They will likely ask you to keep a detailed food and symptom diary as the first step to identifying the issue.
They may also order blood tests to check histamine levels and rule out any underlying health conditions. Allergy tests may also be necessary to determine whether you are allergic to certain foods or environmental allergens.
It is also possible to test for histamine intolerance using a histamine challenge test. Similar to allergy skin-prick tests, your doctor pricks your skin with a small dose of histamine to see whether you react to it (7).
If pesky histamine symptoms have you tossing and turning, leaving you feeling hopeless and exhausted, don’t despair. There are steps you can take to minimize histamine release at night so you can get a good night’s sleep.
How to Stop a Histamine Dump at Night
First, download my free low-histamine diet guide. Using this diet guide, you can minimize your exposure to histamine in your food and reduce the amount of histamine released by your body in response to certain foods. In turn, it can help keep your histamine bucket at a more tolerable level.
Research suggests that ginger has antihistamine properties similar to popular antihistamine medication. So, a fragrant, soothing cup of ginger tea is a tasty way to reduce your nighttime symptoms (8).
Histamine intolerance supplements can also help ease the burden of your symptoms. Two useful options include a natural antihistamine formula and a diamine oxidase supplement.
Additionally, it's also helpful to maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule to support your circadian rhythm. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and follow a calming bedtime routine to reduce stress and promote restful sleep.
Manage Nighttime Histamine Release for a Good Night’s Sleep
Histamine dumps at night can be disruptive and distressing, but with proper understanding and management, it's possible to regain control over your sleep and overall sense of well-being.
Remember, everyone's histamine tolerance is different, so what works for one person may not work for another. It's crucial to work with healthcare professionals to develop a personalized management plan.
References
- Patel RH. Biochemistry, Histamine - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
- Nakamura Y, Ishimaru K, Shibata S, Nakao A. Regulation of plasma histamine levels by the mast cell clock and its modulation by stress. Scientific Reports. 2017 Jan 11;(1).
- Environmental Allergies: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment. Cleveland Clinic. 2017.
- Valent P, Hartmann K, Bonadonna P, Gülen T, Brockow K, Alvarez-Twose I, et al. Global Classification of Mast Cell Activation Disorders: An ICD-10-CM–Adjusted Proposal of the ECNM-AIM Consortium. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2022 Aug;(8):1941–50.
- Schnedl WJ, Enko D. Histamine Intolerance Originates in the Gut. Nutrients. 2021 Apr 12;(4):1262.
- Weare-Regales N, Chiarella SE, Cardet JC, Prakash YS, Lockey RF. Hormonal Effects on Asthma, Rhinitis, and Eczema. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2022 Aug;(8):2066–73.
- Kofler L, Ulmer H, Kofler H. Histamine 50-Skin-Prick Test: A Tool to Diagnose Histamine Intolerance. ISRN Allergy. 2011 Feb 22;1–5.
- Yamprasert R, Chanvimalueng W, Mukkasombut N, Itharat A. Ginger extract versus Loratadine in the treatment of allergic rhinitis: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 2020 Apr 20;(1).
Anita Tee
My name is Anita Tee. I'm a nutritional scientist specializing in histamine intolerance. I hold a Master of Science in Personalized Nutrition and a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Psychology.
For the past ten years, I have used my experience in nutritional and medical health sciences to create a scientifically backed, natural approach to healthcare that relies 100% on evidence-based research.
As I previously suffered from - and overcame - histamine intolerance, my focus is to increase recognition and expand the available resources and protocols for resolving the disorder. To date, I have helped over 4,000 individuals fully resolve or better manage their histamine intolerance symptoms.
