Can Histamine Cause Insomnia?

You’ve been tossing and turning for hours, watching the minutes on the clock as they count down to dawn. 

As you lie there frustrated, with the dread of having to get through the day after yet another sleepless night, you wonder: could that spicy dinner or glass of red wine last night be the cause of your wakefulness?

As someone with histamine intolerance, the last thing you need is another pesky side effect of elevated histamine—insomnia. Yet, I’m guessing you’re unlikely to be surprised to learn of this connection. After all, histamine seems to affect every other part of your life!

In this article, I’ll run you through the link between histamine and your circadian rhythm, how histamine affects your sleep, and what you can do to minimize its impact so you can get back to enjoying peaceful nights and restorative sleep.

Understanding Histamine

Let’s quickly recap what histamine is and how it is supposed to function in your body.

First of all, histamine is a chemical compound made and released by mast cells, which are located in various tissues throughout your body. Histamine is most commonly recognised for the role it plays in immune reactions—alerting your immune system to a potential threat, be it bacteria, a virus, or any other foreign substance (1).

Once your immune system has taken care of the problem, histamine is then denatured by enzymes such as diamine oxidase (DAO) and HNMT, and then eliminated from your system (2).

People with histamine intolerance often have a deficiency of one of these critical enzymes, most often it's DAO. Consequently, histamine isn’t broken down as efficiently as it should be, leading to elevated levels remaining in the body. When histamine levels remain high, it can continue to trigger the function of your histamine receptors and result in a wide range of symptoms. 

In addition to histamine modulating the immune system, histamine has a variety of other functions in the body. It controls stomach acid production, and acts as a neurotransmitter. Interestingly, one of the effects of the latter function is maintaining your natural sleep-wake cycle, also known as your circadian rhythm (3). 

The Role of Histamine in Sleep-Wake Cycles

The ebb and flow of daylight and darkness is only one key player controlling your built-in 24-hour clock. Histamine is another.

Research shows that your mast cells, the cells responsible for histamine release, are also controlled by your circadian rhythm. More histamine is released during the day, keeping you awake and alert (4).

Usually, histamine production slows down at night, allowing you to feel drowsy and fall asleep. Then it spikes again as the sun begins to rise, preparing you for the day ahead.

For people with histamine intolerance, the story is slightly different. There's more histamine release, often in conjunction with faulty histamine degradation, meaning not only is there too much histamine in the body, it's also not being broken down down effectively. The combination of high release and poor breakdown leads to chronically elevated levels and nighttime histamine attacks.

When you also eat a high-histamine meal for dinner, your histamine levels are raised even more. The result? You guessed it! Difficulty falling and staying asleep. Instead of your brain winding down after dark, it remains in a hyper alert state. 

So, can histamine cause insomnia?

Histamine and Insomnia: The Connection

In short, the answer is a clear cut yes. Insomnia, characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both, can indeed be triggered by excess histamine (5). Here’s how:

1. Difficulty falling asleep: High histamine levels can keep your mind alert and active. Instead of feeling drowsy, thoughts keep running through your mind—did I turn off the oven, is my child prepared for their history test, how many stars are there in the sky (6)? You may also simply feel more alert at night, or experience heart palpitations after eating high-histamine foods, which keep you awake.
   
   
2. Frequent waking: Histamine can cause you to wake up during the night, often with other nighttime histamine symptoms like intense itching, itchy skin, headaches and congestion, which can come on more quickly, and feel more intense than the symptoms of histamine intolerance you experience during the day.
   
   
3. Early morning waking: While histamine levels naturally rise in the early morning as the sun comes up, people with histamine intolerance might wake up prematurely, with histamine levels rising earlier than they should (7).

Often, these symptoms are coupled with daytime fatigue, which may increase your risk of having more histamine symptoms during the day and night. 

Of course there are many other potential causes of insomnia—histamine being only one of them. It could be due to medication, poor sleep hygiene, depression, anxiety, or physical illness. 

Many sleep disorders can mimic the symptoms of histamine-induced insomnia. Conditions like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or circadian rhythm disorders can also cause sleep disturbances. So, overall I do encourage you to go for a thorough assessment of your symptoms as proper diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment.

If you still suspect it's histamine causing your sleepless nights, let's look at some of the reasons it's behaving badly in the first place. 

Factors that Increase Nighttime Histamine Levels

High histamine levels don't just happen on their own. Factors contributing to elevated histamine levels at night include:

• Diet: Consuming histamine-rich foods like aged cheeses, fermented foods, or cured meats, or ingesting histamine-liberating foods and drinks such as alcohol or citrus fruits close to bedtime can spike histamine levels.
  
  

Get the Low Histamine Diet Guide

 

• Stress: High stress levels can trigger histamine release. 
  
  
• Environmental allergens: Dust mites (who love to live in your bedding), and exposure to pollen and pet dander in your bedroom can provoke a histamine response.
  
  
• Certain medications: Drugs such as painkillers, heart medications, antihistamines, antidepressants, metformin, immune modulating medications, and those prescribed for high blood pressure can interfere with the release and function of the histamine degrading enzyme, diamine oxidase. It’s important to note that while your medication may be contributing to high histamine levels, don’t stop taking it without talking to your doctor first.

I hope you're still with me, and that you have a better understanding of why you may have insomnia as a result of histamine intolerance! It's time to get into how to stop sleepless nights in their tracks, and say goodbye to your histamine intolerance symptoms for good. 

5 Ways to Manage Histamine-Induced Insomnia

Adopting histamine-reducing strategies can help you overcome histamine-related insomnia as well as other symptoms of histamine intolerance. I usually encourage everyone to work with a healthcare professional experienced in histamine intolerance if they can, as this may be incredibly beneficial for creating a plan to suit your needs and ensure you're still maintaining adequate nutrient intake as well as addressing those all-important lifestyle factors that may be contributing to your symptoms.

#1 Adjust your diet

What you eat and drink is the primary external source of histamine. As mentioned above, some foods contain histamine themselves and others trigger its release from the body. So, avoiding these foods is an effective way to begin to bring your histamine levels down.

We’ve made it easy for you to begin your histamine-healing journey! I've compiled a free low-histamine diet guide for you to download, simply click the link below to access your copy today. 

 

Get the Low Histamine Diet Guide

 

#2 Improve your sleep routine

Have you heard of sleep hygiene? It’s everything you do before going to bed to ensure a good night’s rest. It involves going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, switching off your screens an hour before retiring for the night, and using your bed only for sleep and intimacy (8). Because your circadian rhythm is based on a 24-hour clock, following these simple steps can help you to get into a routine, forcing the body to recognise when it's time to sleep and when it's time to be awake - at the appropriate intervals! 

#3 Stress management

Practice relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breathing before bed. It is also beneficial to manage your stress levels throughout the day by doing exercise like yoga or pilates, spending time outdoors, and keeping a gratitude journal (9). Stress has a huge impact on histamine, so going to bed stressed can compound the way histamine causes insomnia. 

#4 Environmental modifications

To avoid histamine reactions at night as a result of exposure to environmental allergens, use hypoallergenic bedding, keep your bedroom free from dust and dander, and watch out for mold. Use an air purifier if needs be, and clean on a regular basis to prevent build up of potential allergens. 

#5 Histamine Intolerance Supplements

When you're constantly battling high histamine levels, your body can use all the help it can get. Some people find relief when they combine the above interventions with histamine-regulating supplements. Adding natural antihistamines, low-histamine probiotics, or DAO supplements to your routine may further improve your histamine levels and reduce the frequency of histamine attacks both during the day and at night. 

Reduce Histamine for a Good Night’s Sleep

While histamine is a necessary and beneficial chemical in your body, too much can lead to sleep and other health troubles. 

If you have insomnia and suspect it is caused by histamine, pay attention to your diet, environment, and stress levels. Consult with a healthcare provider who knows about histamine intolerance so you can implement the appropriate strategies you need to work towards reclaiming your restful nights. 

References

1. Fong M. Histology, Mast Cells - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499904/
2. Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Costa-Catala J, Iduriaga-Platero I, Veciana-Nogués MT, Vidal-Carou MC, et al. The Rate of Histamine Degradation by Diamine Oxidase Is Compromised by Other Biogenic Amines. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2022 May 25. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.897028
3. Jewell T. What Is Histamine and What Is Its Role in the Body? Healthline. Healthline Media; 2023. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/what-is-histamine
4. Nakamura Y, Ishimaru K, Shibata S, Nakao A. Regulation of plasma histamine levels by the mast cell clock and its modulation by stress. Scientific Reports. 2017 Jan 11;(1). Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep39934
5. Insomnia - What Is Insomnia? | NHLBI, NIH. NHLBI, NIH. Available from: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/insomnia
6. Thakkar MM. Histamine in the regulation of wakefulness. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2011 Feb;(1):65–74. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2010.06.004
7. Chikahisa S, Kodama T, Soya A, Sagawa Y, Ishimaru Y, Séi H, et al. Histamine from Brain Resident MAST Cells Promotes Wakefulness and Modulates Behavioral States. Mintz EM, editor. PLoS ONE. 2013 Oct 18;(10):e78434. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078434
8. Rith-Najarian L. Sleep Hygiene Checklist. Available from: https://sdlab.fas.harvard.edu/files/sdlab/files/sleephygienecheckliststriveweekly.pdf
9. Relaxation techniques: Try these steps to lower stress - Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic. 2024. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/relaxation-technique/art-20045368