Ever gone to the gym to workout or tried to exercise outside, only to find that 5 minutes in, you feel light-headed, have tingling in your arms and feet and then the feeling of fainting comes along too?
You aren’t alone. Unfortunately this can be common for those with histamine intolerance and exercise. Often termed, ‘allergic to exercise’ in many groups discussing histamine and histamine intolerance.
Good news is there is things you can do to manage exercise and histamine intolerance and therefore your ability to be able to do workouts without having a histamine flare-up.
In this blog, we look at exercise and histamine intolerance, as well as strategies that you can use to help.
Firstly, quick recap…
What is histamine intolerance?
Histamine intolerance is a condition characterized by the body’s inability to properly break down and metabolize histamine.
When histamine levels exceed the body’s ability to break it down, individuals may experience symptoms similar to an allergic reaction. These symptoms can include:
- Headaches
- Flushing or redness of the skin
- Itchy skin or rash
- Hives
- Nasal congestion or runny nose
- Digestive issues such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, or bloating
- Asthma-like symptoms
- Fatigue
- Irregular heartbeat
- Anxiety or panic attacks
Read more about histamine intolerance https://www.happywithouthistamine.com/what-is-histamine-intolerance/
What is the connection between exercise and histamine intolerance?
Early studies on the connection between exercise and histamine were done by researchers on animals. These studies showed that histamine levels rose during exercise depending on the intensity and duration of the exercise.
Let’s look at what happens during exercise. Histamine levels in the body can increase due to several factors:
Increased release:
Physical activity can trigger the release of histamine from mast cells, which are a type of immune cell found in various tissues throughout the body. Mast cells release histamine in response to stimuli such as mechanical stress, temperature changes, and certain substances.
As much as exercise doesn’t seem like a stressor (because it’s beneficial in so many ways), however, it is still seen by the body as a form of stress. This is because stress increases cortisol in the body, which then triggers more mast cells and therefore more histamine.
Increased blood flow:
Exercise leads to increased blood flow to the muscles and other tissues, which can facilitate the distribution of histamine throughout the body.
Temperature changes:
Increases in skeletal muscles during exercise can cause what’s known as exercise-induced histamine release.
Respiratory effects:
Exercise-induced changes in breathing patterns can affect the airways, potentially leading to increased histamine release and contributing to symptoms such as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in individuals with asthma or other respiratory conditions.
Immune response:
Exercise can modulate the immune system, leading to changes in histamine levels as part of the body’s response to physiological stress.
It’s important to note that the effects of histamine during exercise can vary depending on factors such as the individual’s underlying health status, the intensity and duration of exercise, environmental conditions, and any concurrent use of medications or dietary factors that may affect histamine metabolism or release.
Is histamine important for exercise?
Research has shown that during exercise histamine plays a role as a molecular signaller. It activates a cascade of events that lead to some of the adaptions to exercise training.
Histamine released in the skeletal muscle can help deliver glucose by increasing blood flow and likely enhancing the permeability of the capillaries so that glucose more readily accesses the skeletal muscle.
Interestingly, if histamine blockers are given, the muscles may receive less glucose for recovery.
What type of exercise should I do if I have histamine intolerance?
Firstly, let’s look at the many benefits of exercise.
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Weight management
- Enhanced mood
- Boosted energy levels
- Strengthened muscles and bones
- Improved sleep quality
- Enhanced cognitive function
- Boosted immune system
- Promoted longevity
- Improved self-esteem and body image
- Social interaction
- Reduced risk of chronic diseases
What do you do though, if you have histamine intolerance and exercising sends you into a flare-up?
Here are some things to be mindful of with exercise and histamine intolerance:
Pick your exercise type:
Pick your exercise type, taking into account your fitness levels as well as your goals.
Be mindful that HIIT or high-intensity interval training may not be the best choice because it’s hard and therefore a huge stressor on the body. After a hard workout, cortisol rises and mast cells release histamine. Likewise, in hard workouts, it is more likely you will get overheated which will also contribute to histamine increase.
HIIT, running, cycling and high-intensity classes like Body Attack and Boxing also fall under the same category as HIIT.
Exercise types that are passive or less dynamic might be a better choice if you have histamine intolerance:
Things like:
- Weight training
- Pilates
- Yoga
- Barre
- Some forms of Dance
- Swimming
- Aqua aerobics
Look out for the environment:
The environment in which you train can also have a significant impact on your histamine levels.
Is the studio or gym too hot? Is there a lot of noise? Aromatic smells? (like in a hot Yoga studio?)
All these things may also have an impact on your nervous system and fill up your histamine bucket even before you’ve started to move.
Tip: Doing workouts outside or in the comfort of your own home can allow you to control the environment more.
Think about duration:
Also, consider your own personal fitness and energy levels. Longer duration of exercise may create stress on the body if you’re significantly going outside your current capacity.
20 minutes of targeted strength training designed by a Physiotherapist or Exercise scientist might be more suitable for you than that 1-hour strength training class.
Often just reducing the length of sessions and working smarter, not harder is the key to lowering your histamine levels, while working to resolve the root cause of the excess histamine that’s actually causing the problem.
Don’t give up hope:
It can be really disheartening when you are trying to do the right thing for your mind and body and engaging in exercise only to end up with a flareup to knock you down. Don’t lose hope and don’t give up.
Working out what exercise is right for you right now and getting support to help you with nutrition, adequate protein and resolving the causes of histamine excess will help you get back to enjoying exercise and histamine-containing foods again.
With exercise and histamine intolerance, various factors come into play. Exercise itself causes histamine to rise, and there are changes in blood flow, temperature fluctuations and immune response which can all exacerbate histamine symptoms. By choosing your exercise type wisely, managing your environment and duration, and staying positive while trying new things, you can tailor your workouts. This will help avoid or reduce histamine-related flare-ups whilst also benefiting from exercise in your life.
Struggling to get answers about your histamine intolerance symptoms?
Watch my free Masterclass – The 5 Steps to Healing from Histamine Intolerance.
You will learn my 5-Step plan, the exact same method I used to recover from histamine intolerance. These 5 steps everyone with histamine intolerance must know to resolve all those confusing symptoms and get back to eating foods you love without fear!
Are you eating enough Protein?