Why “Healthy” Foods Were Wrecking My Sleep: My Experience with Histamine Intolerance
For months, I noticed a strange pattern: whenever I had certain meals—like slow-cooked meats, curries, or anything I’d prepped ahead and stored in the fridge—I’d end up feeling off.
It wasn't just the bloating or foggy head. It was what happened at night that caught my attention.
I’d lie in bed with a racing heart, feeling wired but exhausted.
Sometimes it felt like my breath was hot, like heat radiating from the inside out. I struggled to drift off, and even if I managed to fall asleep, I’d wake up feeling like I hadn’t rested at all.
At first, I chalked it up to stress or maybe something random I ate—but the pattern kept repeating. Eventually, I connected the dots: it was histamine.
Wait... What Does Histamine Have to Do with Sleep?
We usually think of histamine as the thing behind allergies—runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing. But histamine is also a neurotransmitter, which means it acts like a chemical messenger in the brain. And guess what it does?
It promotes wakefulness and alertness. In other words, histamine keeps you awake.
In a healthy system, histamine rises during the day and drops at night so you can wind down. But if you have histamine intolerance—like I do—histamine builds up and overstimulates the nervous system. That means your brain and body are still switched on when you should be winding down.
How I Knew Something Was Off
Here are some of the symptoms I noticed, especially after eating high-histamine meals:
Trouble falling asleep or waking up wired in the middle of the night
Elevated heart rate when lying in bed
A strange “hot breath” or internal heat sensation
Restlessness, racing thoughts
Elevated body temperature at night
Irritability the next morning
If you’re experiencing these, especially in relation to your food or stress levels, it might be worth exploring histamine intolerance too.
So Why Do I Have Histamine Intolerance?
Histamine intolerance doesn’t mean your body is making too much histamine. It usually means it’s not breaking it down fast enough.
The main enzyme responsible for this is called DAO (diamine oxidase). When DAO isn’t doing its job—whether from nutrient deficiencies, gut inflammation, or medications—histamine can build up.
Here are some of the underlying causes I’m exploring right now:
Gut health issues (like leaky gut, SIBO, or dysbiosis)
Nutrient deficiencies (like B6, vitamin C, copper, and magnesium—all important for DAO function)
Chronic stress (which depletes nutrients and activates histamine-releasing mast cells)
Food sensitivities or estrogen imbalance (even in men, hormone imbalances can play a role)
A family history—my mum has similar symptoms, and I now believe this might be a piece of her sleep puzzle too
But Aren’t These Foods Supposed to Be Healthy?
Here’s the tricky part. Foods like:
Bone broth
Slow-cooked meats
Fermented foods
Aged cheeses
Leftovers
…are often celebrated as nutrient-dense and healing. And they are—for some people.
But for someone with histamine intolerance, these foods are histamine bombs. They can trigger inflammation, insomnia, and a whole cascade of symptoms.
This is where bio-individuality matters most.
Just because something is marketed as “healthy” doesn’t mean it’s right for you—or me, or my mum.
Meal prep, for example, seems smart and efficient. But for me, leftovers are a problem because histamine levels rise the longer food is stored, even in the fridge.
What I’m Doing About It
Here’s what’s been helping:
Eating fresh-cooked, low-histamine meals, especially for dinner (fresh meat, white rice, cooked veg like carrots or zucchini).
Avoiding leftovers or slow-cooked/fermented foods.
Taking vitamin C and magnesium glycinate in the evening to help support histamine breakdown and calm my nervous system.
Taking a DAO Supplement at night to help clear histamine
Prioritising gut health—supporting digestion and reducing inflammation naturally.
Working on stress regulation through breathwork, cold exposure, and setting better boundaries.
My Message to You (and Mum)
If you’re struggling with sleep, anxiety, weird heat sensations, or unexplained inflammation—especially after eating certain foods—histamine might be the hidden culprit.
This stuff is real, and it’s more common than people think. It’s not in your head, and it’s not just about food—it’s about what your body can handle and what it needs support with.
You don’t need a complicated diagnosis to start experimenting. Just start noticing patterns, try reducing high-histamine foods for a week or two, and see how your body responds.
I’m not sharing this to fear-monger around food, but to highlight that your body is trying to tell you something—and it deserves to be listened to.
"I'll continue sharing my health journey as a window into what sustainable health can look like. It's never a one-size-fits-all approach—what works for me might not work for you. But I encourage you to stay curious, listen to your body, and start experimenting to discover what truly supports your own well-being." ~ StreTch
