So, I am sort of new to the world of allergies, meaning I didn't develop them until the past couple of years. Now they are so bad that I feel stuffy 99 percent of the time, and I ususally wake up very fatigued, even if I have slept a lot.

Well, in addition, I have pretty intense anxiety which can sometimes cause anxiety.

And well, the two combined are even worse. I look a benedryl last night because I had a GIANT sinus headache and post-nasal drip and wheezing (I do today too)

So, am I crazy por does the Benedryl make your heart race a little, I mean I feel drowsy when I take it, but wired a little bit too.

Is there something I can take that will help me get some rest?

sORRY IF this post is so discombobulated. I'm not feeling so hot today.

:(

It should not make your heart race. Benedryl is the "PM" component of Tylenol PM. Are you taking a day time antihistamine? You don't say what else you are doing.

Benadryl makes most people drowsy (it is actually the main ingredient in most of the over-the-counter sleep aids), so the first thing you should do is check to make sure that you're taking straight Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) with no decongestant. The decongestant (pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine) is usually the thing that makes people feel wired, and several types of Benadryl include a decongestant.

If you were taking the plain Benadryl and it still made you wired, you should probably try Zyrtec - it's very effective, actually works for 24 hours (so you don't have to take it nearly as much) and hopefully won't make you feel wired.

Allergies and sleep apnea are often related...sleep apnea can cause anxiety (day time and night time), fatigue, and a racing heart.

Bethsheba

Hmm.. What's sleep apnea?

And as for benedryl, I am not taking one with decongestants, it;s for p.m. but even tylonal pm and suff can make me feel speedy and drowsy at the same time. My friend has had the same problems with it, so it could just be that it disagrees with me.

Also, I have wondered if my allergy to something could be causing this excessive anxiety, because I was not always so anxious and I used to not have allergies at all.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway is obstructed during sleep. This can happen many, many times during the night and the sleeper is often unaware of it's occurance (it is usually a bed partner who notices that the sleeper breathes shallowly or stops breathing for periods of time). Allergies can cause/trigger/aggravate this conditon.

When breathing stops for periods of time, oxygen levels drop in the body. Because there is less oxygen in the blood, the heart needs to pump harder and faster to get what little oxygen there is to the vital organs. This can result in a racing heart and high blood pressure....it can also result in a higher level of anxiety...classic sleep apnea symptoms. Untreated apnea can lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, depression, anxiety, etc. and in severe cases death.

Although the apnea occurs during sleep, the symptoms can be 24/7. Treat the apnea, and often the symptoms disappear completely.

Apnea is quite common (about as common as diabetes) but most doctors miss it....despite the symptoms, my doctors missed it for over 40 years.

Bethsheba