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Should You Be Worried About the Allergy Version of Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Tamim Alnuweiri

March 25, 2018

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Whether the lack of sunlight gets you down or you deal with seasonal affective disorder, the winter blues is a familiar state for many of us. The cold-weather season is often associated with hibernation, a less-active social life, and, in general, being glum. Spring, however, seems like a window of rebirth and revival: The days get longer, the flowers start to grow back, and the snow storms come to an end (hopefully, that is). But if you feel less like rejoicing in the advent of spring and more like succumbing to tiredness, irritation, and crankiness, don't worry—you're not alone.

According to CNN, the beginning of spring can bring with it a sort of allergy-related depression. In fact, the risk of depression can increase by 50 percent when a person suffers from allergies, according to research. But despite the correlation between allergies and depression, there is no proof that your sniffles actually cause depression.

Allergies can lead to disrupted sleep, feelings of grogginess, decreased energy, and poorer performance at school or work—all of which can exacerbate depressive symptoms such as fatigue, bad sleep, sadness, and lethargy, CNN reported.

Rather, the link is more likely due to allergies leading to disrupted sleep, feelings of grogginess, decreased energy, and poorer performance at school or work—all of which can exacerbate depressive symptoms such as fatigue, bad sleep, sadness, and lethargy, CNN reported.

Paul Marshall, PhD and neuropsychologist told CNN that those who see an allergist are three times more likely to have depression—which could mean that those who seek an allergist may already have severe allergies that are triggering severe depressive symptoms. In other words, having seasonal allergies might make you more susceptible to a vicious cycle of depression.

The good news is, this too shall pass: Allergy season only lasts so long, and if your seasonal sniffles are negatively impacting your life, consider seeing a doc who might be able to help you treat your symptoms through allergen immunotherapy.

If you do have allergies, there is good news: A vaccine for seasonal allergies could be coming, and you might even grow out of them anyway.