Hello Allergy Season!
It’s that time of the year again…allergy season. The congestion, coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, and runny nose are enough to drive anyone crazy. If you suffer from allergies around this time of the year, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. A question worth exploring is: are allergies linked to mood changes?
Of course the discomfort and irritation that comes with seasonal allergies can negatively affect someone’s mood, but there is research to suggest that these mood changes are much more deeply connected to having allergies. In fact, Several Studies have demonstrated that those who have seasonal allergies are at an increased risk for depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
How Can Seasonal Allergies Impact Mood?
Cytokines are molecules that are naturally released by the body during an allergic response. When it comes to “allergy season”, pollen sensitivities cause an immune response that releases cytokines. Unfortunately increased levels of cytokines can influence many of our bodily functions in a negative way. For example, depressive symptoms have been linked to increased levels of cytokines.
The Present Study
Patterns of depressive episodes (ie. feeling down) during specific times of the year is known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). For example, there is much research to show that during winter periods people experience greater depressive episodes and negative mood changes; this is called winter SAD.
With that being said, the focus of the present study is on non-winter SAD, specifically the link between high pollen counts, and negative mood changes.
Researchers in the study hypothesized that periods of the year with high pollen counts (ie. Spring & Summer) would lead to patterns of non-winter SAD in people.
Findings & What They Mean For Seasonal Allergy Sufferers
More than half of the participants reported that their moods worsened during periods of high pollen counts. Additionally, researchers found that individuals who reported mood worsening due to high pollen counts were also more likely to have non-winter SAD.
In short, the findings of this study indicate that seasonal allergy sensitivities (ie. sensitivity to pollen) predicts non-winter SAD. For all you allergy sufferers, there is an association between seasonal allergies and SAD.
Limitations
It is important to note that all findings in the study are purely correlational, meaning only relationships can be drawn and that these findings are not actual claims. Additionally, all seasonal sensitivities and mood changes were based on participants' self reports. As such, these self reports were not standardized since they may be biased.
Source:
Guzman, A., Tonelli, L. H., Roberts, D., Stiller, J. W., Jackson, M. A., Soriano, J. J., Yousufi, S., Rohan, K. J., Komarow, H., & Postolache, T. T. (2007). Mood-worsening with high-pollen-counts and seasonality: A preliminary report. Journal of Affective Disorders, 101(1), 269-274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2006.11.026
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