Wired at Night The Hidden Histamine Link in PANS and PANDAS

Some kids with PANS or PANDAS look “allergic” without ever testing positive for allergies. No IgE spike. No hives. But they’re flushed, sweaty, restless, and can’t switch off.

This is often non-allergic mast cell activation. Mast cells release histamine in response to infection, toxins, or stress. In these kids, histamine isn’t just about runny noses – it’s a chemical that can wire the brain long after bedtime.

Why histamine keeps them awake

Histamine is a daytime chemical. It keeps you alert. It rises with the sun and drops at night, hitting its lowest in deep sleep. But if mast cells keep firing, histamine stays high around the clock.

The body fights back by making adrenaline to bring histamine down. Adrenaline triggers more histamine.

Histamine → adrenaline → more histamine
Loop on loop.

At night this can look like hyperactivity, anxious chatter, sudden irritability, sweating, flushed skin, restless legs, or an OCD flare.

Melatonin won’t fix it. This is chemistry stuck in fight-or-flight.

Breaking it down

The body clears histamine with two main enzymes – HMT in the brain and DAO in the gut.
Low DAO is common in chronic infection, gut damage, and autoimmunity. HMT needs a healthy methylation cycle – something that can be disrupted by variations in multiple methylation-related genes.

Calming the loop

Remove high-histamine foods such as aged cheese, cured meats, vinegar,  sauerkraut, soya sauce, and leftovers. Limit histamine-releasing foods like strawberries, citrus, and chocolate if they trigger symptoms. Check personal care products for cinnamaldehyde, benzoates, sulphites, and dyes.

Support breakdown with vitamin C, copper (watch zinc balance), black seed oil, nettle tincture, mangosteen, carnosine, or DAO supplements for food histamine.

Be careful with mast cell supports. Quercetin can help some but overstimulate others – especially with COMT or MAO gene changes.

Pick probiotic strains wisely. Use histamine-lowering ones like Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus plantarum, or possibly Lactobacillus reuteri. Avoid histamine-raising ones like Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus bulgaricus.

Find and deal with the trigger – strep, mycoplasma, mould toxins, viruses. Without that step, the loop will keep restarting.

The takeaway

Wired at night in PANS and PANDAS isn’t always about low melatonin. It’s often histamine and adrenaline locked in a loop. The fix is to lower histamine load, support clearance, calm mast cells – and remove what set them off in the first place.

If your child’s nights look like this, you’re not alone.
We see it all the time in PANS and PANDAS – the late-night hyperactivity, sudden mood swings, and exhausted mornings that make every day harder.

Histamine is just one piece of the puzzle, but when you know how to spot it and calm it, nights and mornings can change fast.

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IMPORTANT

The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is crucial to consult with medical doctors or qualified functional medicine practitioners to address specific health concerns and obtain personalised guidance tailored to individual needs. Never add any supplements to your plan until it has been assessed and approved by your medical doctor or a suitable qualified practitioner who is familiar with your health history.

Concerned about your child’s health? We’d love to have a chat with you.