This will help to soothe the mucous membranes in your nose and prevent them from swelling and triggering a sneeze. Like wine, beer also contains histamines, which can trigger sneezing. In addition, beer is often brewed with hops, comprising a compound called lupulin. When you drink alcohol, it’s absorbed into your bloodstream and quickly travels to your brain. One is that alcohol dilates blood vessels in the nose, which can cause irritation and lead to sneezing. This is especially true if you suffer the occasional 2-day hangover.

Is alcohol-induced sneezing a sign of an alcohol allergy?

In addition, some people find that the alcohol in these drinks irritates their nose, leading to sneezing. This dilation occurs first in the brain, so you may feel flushed or warm after only a few sips of alcohol. The dilation then extends to blood vessels throughout your body, including those in your nose. You can also sneezing fits when drinking alcohol get allergy testing to check whether you have a true allergy to alcohol. Allergy testing can also tell you if you have an allergy to another component of alcoholic beverages like wheat, grapes, or barley. Non-allergic rhinitis is different from allergic rhinitis, which is caused by allergies such as hay fever.

Care and Treatment

If a certain drink (or several) doesn’t agree with you, then steer clear. If you find yourself sneezing after consuming specific alcoholic beverages, the culprit could be an allergy to certain ingredients in those drinks. For instance, some individuals may be sensitive to the sulfites present in wine or the hops in beer, resulting in an allergic reaction and subsequent sneezing. Another possibility is that alcohol can induce an allergic reaction in some individuals.

• However, if an individual is sensitive to temperature changes in their nasal passages, it may contribute to sneezing.
• If people experience symptoms after drinking alcohol, they should speak with a doctor for further advice.

Sulfite and histamine sensitivity

Some people are in situations where they constantly come into contact with irritants in the air. This may be due to their occupation, or a person may have hobbies or live in an area where irritants are regularly in the air. Photic sneezing is when someone sneezes when looking at a bright light. To get to the bottom of what’s causing you to sneeze, keep track of when and what you eat to see if you can find any patterns. They can help you come up with a plan to manage your sneezing.

However, some individuals may find certain alcoholic beverages, such as wine or beer, more likely to trigger the sneezing reflex due to their individual sensitivities. If you’re looking for a way to prevent sneezing when you drink, try making your cocktails with fresh fruit juices instead of using pre-made mixes. This will help reduce the number of histamines in your drink and make it less likely to trigger a sneeze. Some people experience flushing, headaches, and nausea shortly after drinking alcohol. In the case of a cold, histamine is not causing the sneezing, so most antihistamines won’t help. However, those that can dry nasal secretions (like Benadryl) might.

Can alcohol-induced sneezing be a temporary reaction?