I have some seasonal allergies. I never had them while living in Maine, but when I moved away I started getting them. It’s not any fun, but since they aren’t particularly disabling I haven’t gone to the doctor for any sort of treatment. On days I feel all bogged down with congestion I take a couple Benadryl.
I was sitting in a Benadryl stupor the other day and I wondered, what about Benadryl makes me so sleepy? I asked in IRC, and people didn’t know. I did a couple google searches and I think I lost my train of thought and just gave up.
This morning I was going through some headlines and I discovered this: Why Antihistamines Put You to Sleep. Apparently there was a study to “Pinpoint Role of Histamines in Waking.” Aha! So now I know:
Detailed in the May 27 edition of the journal Neuron, the findings show that the cessation of activity in histamine cells causes loss of consciousness during sleep, while cessation of activity in other brain cells — those containing the brain chemicals norepinephrine or serotonin — causes loss of muscle tone in sleep. The findings also help explain why antihistamines, often taken to control allergies, cause drowsiness. — UCLA Newsroom
Last night Michael spent some time getting the fishtank set up and filled with water. It looks really great. As much as I want to get some glofish I am keeping an open mind, maybe I just want one big fish! It’s a 50 gallon (~190 litres) tank, so we have a lot of options.
Today we’re heading over to
*wanders off*