In rare instances, an alcohol and sneezing reaction can be life-threatening and require emergency treatment. If you’re frequently sneezing after drinking, you must see a doctor as there may be an underlying condition that needs to be treated. Sneezing is usually not harmful, but it can be a nuisance. If drinking from a glass makes you sneeze, try drinking through a straw instead. This will help reduce your nose’s contact with the drink and make it less likely to trigger a sneeze.

  • The most common symptoms you may experience are vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, sneezing, wheezing, and hives.
  • Also, if your symptoms seem to be linked to an allergy or a medication you’re taking, see your doctor.
  • Beer also contains histamines which could cause a reaction in some people, including sneezing and stuffy nose after drinking.

Unfortunately, nothing can prevent reactions to alcohol or ingredients in alcoholic beverages. To avoid a reaction, avoid alcohol or the particular substance that causes your reaction. Drinking alcohol can trigger migraines in some people, possibly as a result of histamines contained in some alcoholic beverages. Your immune system also releases histamines during an allergic reaction. The second reason why alcohol can cause sneezing and congestion is that wine, beer, and spirits contain histamine, a compound that elicits an allergic response. Of all alcoholic beverages, red wines usually have the highest histamine content. Wine contains many organic compounds including proteins from grapes , bacteria, yeast, sulfites and biogenic amines .

Why Do I Experience Nasal Congestion After Drinking Alcohol?

Be aware, however, that labels might not list all ingredients. Rarely, severe pain after drinking alcohol is a sign of a more serious disorder, such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma. If you find that straight spirits make you sneeze, try diluting them with water or soda before you drink them. This will reduce the alcohol in the drink and make it less likely to trigger a sneeze. When you drink alcohol, it’s absorbed into your bloodstream and quickly travels to your brain.

  • Histoplasms, in addition to histoplasms, can cause itching, flushed, and congested skin.
  • If drinking from a glass makes you sneeze, try drinking through a straw instead.
  • Kristin Brown loved to drink – perhaps partied a little too much when she was in her 20s, but when she hit her 30s, alcohol suddenly hit her the wrong way.
  • Although the main ingredient in beer is water, there are many other ingredients.
  • In addition, some people find that the alcohol in these drinks irritates their nose, leading to sneezing.
  • Unfortunately, people have reported to have sulfites intolerances or are more sensitive to the chemical.

Those of Irish and Scottish descent — about 1 percent of the population — are prone to celiac disease, an allergy to gluten in wheat, barley and rye. In general, food sensitivities and intolerances are more common than food allergies.

Sulfites

Grape can trigger a hypertensive reaction in persons with hypertension or those prone to high blood pressure. The symptoms typically occur at night or in the early morning and resemble those of a heart attack with rapid heart rate. Since even tiny amounts of merlot may trigger such a reaction, blended wines containing a combination of grapes need to be avoided. Wine has been a popular beverage since ancient times and across all cultures. While the effects of wine on health are frequently reported, allergy or intolerance to wine has not been as closely studied.

  • In general, food sensitivities and intolerances are more common than food allergies.
  • On the other hand, food intolerance occurs when your digestive system responds unfavorably to a particular food.
  • But, if it happens after drinking, without any other weird lifestyle or dietary changes, there’s a high probability that the symptoms are linked to those wine spritzers.
  • A food and symptom diary can help you identify when your symptoms appear and whether they correlate to certain things.
  • Watch that glass of red wine or hoppy beer if you have food allergies.
  • They can help determine if you’re allergic to a specific ingredient in the beer.

A simple wine sneeze is a sneeze that is caused by drinking wine. Fortunately for the beer lovers, reactions to drinking beer are rarely life-threatening.