Allergy Sufferers Have Difficulty Sleeping Due To Allergy Symptoms

More than 50 million Americans alone suffer from allergies, making it one of the top leading causes of chronic illness in the US. If you’re one of the many who suffer from allergies, you probably have noticed that you often feel the effects during the day and at night. In fact, you may have noticed that the symptoms of your allergies get worse right before you go to sleep. Luckily, you’re not alone. In fact, around 90 percent of allergy sufferers have difficulty sleeping due to allergy symptoms.

Why does your body go haywire when it comes into contact with specific allergens? Essentially, an allergic reaction happens when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance like pollen, mold, pet dander, etc. Your body creates antibodies to deal with allergen as it views these substances as dangerous to your body, even though they aren’t. This leads to the common symptoms you experience such as: 

• Sneezing

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Watery or itchy eyes

• Itchy sinuses and throat

• Postnasal drainage 

The severity of the allergic reaction varies from person to person and can even change based on your body’s overall condition.

Triggers

The most common causes of respiratory allergies include:

• Pollen

• Mold

• Pet dander

• Dust mites

• Cockroach

• Mold

You can find all of these allergens in your home or bedroom. Of course, some allergens will appear in higher frequency than others depending on your cleanliness and season. For example, seasonal allergies will be stronger during the spring and summer months. If you are allergic to cats and dogs, you’ll definitely have a reaction coming into contact with pet dander. Even if you don’t have any pets, just coming into contact with a cat or dog outside or at someone else’s place increases the likelihood of the pet fur or dander sticking to your clothes and ultimately triggering a reaction.

If you’re experiencing allergy symptoms frequently, then chances are you have allergens hiding in your house. Maybe you like leaving the windows open during the day, but that invites pollen into your home. In terms of dust mites, these are impossible to completely eradicate as they will always come back regardless of how much you clean. Other allergens like mold can also be difficult to combat unless you know what to look for. 

Types of Allergies At Night

Regardless of the type of symptoms you have, it can ultimately ruin your sleep. Things like rashes and upset stomach, can all cause sleep issues. However, the most common issues generally are linked to congestion. Even when you’re just sick with a regular cold, you probably have realized that lying down actually makes your congestion worse thanks to the anatomy of the nose and throat. The mucus from your nose trickles down your throat, which can irritate it leading to coughing, wheezing, and even difficulty breathing.

Since your nasal passages are blocked due to congestion, it can also lead to obstructive sleep apnea. Unlike regular sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea only happens when you have an allergic reaction to something. You might find that you’re snoring even when you normally don’t. While the sound of snoring can bother your partner, it can also distract you and cause you to wake up throughout the night.

Snoring isn’t the worst side effect, though. Since your upper airways are obstructed, your lungs can’t get enough air unless you strain your chest muscles and diaphragm. You might find that you are often waking in the middle of the night out of breath. This can lead to poor sleep quality, which in turn leads to serious issues during the daytime such as lack of concentration, poor motor abilities, exhaustion, and more.

You might be experiencing obstructive sleep apnea and might not know it because you don’t know what is causing you to wake up in the middle of the night. Some other symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Constant exhaustion

• Choking/gasping feeling that wakes you up several times in the middle of the night

• Snoring

• Restlessness

• Night sweating

• Mood swings, forgetfulness, poor concentration

• Morning headaches

• Sore and/or dry throat

In order to improve your sleep quality, it’s best to attack the problem at the root. Your first step is to take an allergy test to see if you are allergic to the most common substances. From there, you can then start fixing your problem from the start.

Dust Mites

Dust mites are a double whammy for people who suffer from allergies and asthma. These microscopic critters live off your dead skin cells and have incredibly fast life cycles with males living over a month and females living up to 3 months. In general, dust mites like to make their homes in places where dead skin cells accumulate like on bedding, furniture, and carpeting. Rugs and stuffed animals are also great places for mites.

Dust mites shouldn’t be mistaken for bed bugs. First of all, dust mites are too small to see with the naked eye, so if you do see something crawling around your bed, then it’s probably a bed bug. Second, dust mites don’t bite. With that said, if you are allergic to them, you notice skin rashes when you wake up as well as constant allergy symptoms throughout the year. You can be allergic to both the dust mites themselves as well as their skin and fecal matter. While you might experience symptoms year-round, you may notice it get worse during the hot, humid summer months as dust mites tend to thrive in these conditions.

Unfortunately, dust mites are almost impossible to get rid of completely. With that said, there are some steps you can take to keep their population low such as:

• Removing any unnecessary carpeting and rugs

• Vacuuming and deep cleaning carpets as often as possible

• Regularly dusting especially blinds and furniture crevices

• Keeping the humidity of your house below 50 percent

• Using a certified allergen-capturing filter in your air conditioner and air purifier units

• Wash all bedding weekly with hot water

• Use a zippered mattress and pillow cover

Pet Dander

No matter how much you love cats and dogs, sometimes it’s just not meant to be. Pet allergies are incredibly common with almost 30 percent of people having some kind of allergic reaction to cats and dogs. Cat allergies are twice as common as dog allergies. While many people think that they are allergic to the fur, the truth is most people are actually allergic to a specific protein found in a cat or dog’s skin and saliva. Interestingly, even if you weren’t allergic to cats or dogs when you were younger, you can actually develop allergies to them over time.

Even if you don’t have any pets, you can still bring in potential allergens just from being outside or going to a person’s house who has pets. Pet dander tends to stay suspended in the air for quite some time. These particles can easily get inhaled and make their way into your lungs. If you are particularly sensitive to pet dander, it could lead to severe breathing problems. For those with asthma, this could trigger a severe asthma episode. If you don’t inhale it, they can still hitch a ride on your clothes so if you interact with anyone who has a pet, it’s a good idea to wash your clothes and take a shower when you get home. 

The best way to avoid pet allergies is to avoid owning pets altogether. Still, if you recently developed allergies and don’t want to give up your pet, there are some strategies to reduce your exposure to the allergen:

• Don’t allow your pet into the bedroom. You spend anywhere from 8 to 10 hours in your bedroom (maybe more). Guard your space and make sure to clean your room every day.

• Get rid of pet furniture and any carpeting as pet dander likes to stick on things. Keep your home clean and uncluttered.

• Wear a mask when vacuuming and dusting as both of these activities can kick up pet dander.

• Invest in a good HEPA air filter for the areas where your pet frequents

• Have someone without allergies groom your pet outdoors to reduce dander

Pollen

When you hear the word spring, what comes to mind? If your first thought is itchy eyes and a runny nose, then you probably suffer from seasonal allergies. While spring and summer tend to be the most trying seasons for allergy sufferers, it really depends on what pollen your body reacts to. With that said, many people who suffer from seasonal allergies also react to indoor allergies like mold and dust mites. If you are only experiencing allergy symptoms seasonally though, there’s a pretty good chance you’re allergic to pollen.

Common triggers for seasonal allergies vary as people react to pollen from a variety of plants and trees:

• Spring - trees tend to be the biggest culprit for seasonal allergies. Birch and cedar tend to be the most common allergens as well as alder, horse chestnut, willow, and poplar.

• Summer - grasses are usually the issue during the summer, generally ryegrass and timothy grass.

• Fall - fall is ragweed season, which encompasses around 40 species worldwide. Most grow in the temperate regions of North and South America. This is a very common allergen and can also cause very severe reactions. Other common plants that cause allergies include nettles, mugworts, sorrels, fat hens, and plantains.

• Winter - in cooler climates, most plants and trees lie dormant, so allergy sufferers can rest easy during this season. 

If you are allergic to pollen, your best bet is to avoid going outside between the hours of 5am-10am as that is when pollen levels tend to be at their highest. You should also check the daily pollen levels on your weather app if you must go outside during these hours. When you arrive home from the outside world, you should immediately get out of your clothes and take a shower to remove any residual pollen on your body. This will help reduce your chances of feeling any side effects later on in the night.

Indoor Mold

The thought of having mold growing in your house might make you shudder, but it’s a common problem that many people might not want to admit they have. Mold tends to grow in dark, moist places. As you might imagine, the most common place for mold to grow tends to be in the bathroom. If your bedroom has an attached bathroom, the best thing you can do is to keep the air moving by either opening a window or using an exhaust fan. If you do see signs of mold growing on the walls of your bedroom or bathroom, combine bleach and water into a mixture and clean the affected areas.

However, mold isn’t always easy to spot. Many houses might have had some water damage whether through burst pipes, a leaky roof, or just days on end of humidity. Mold can easily grow inside walls and ceilings. While you might not be able to see the problem area, you can usually smell it as it will often smell like mildew. Take the time to inspect your entire house to find potential trouble spots. If you do notice a moldy spot, it’s probably a good idea to call a professional over to check behind the wall to make sure the area behind isn’t affected. 

Cockroaches

No one wants cockroaches in their house. Not are they a huge eyesore, they can also contaminate your food, transmit bacteria, and cause allergies. Cockroaches themselves don’t cause the allergies, it’s their fecal matter and skin.

Cockroaches are notoriously hard to get rid of, but it’s not impossible. There are a few steps you should take in order to eliminate them completely:

• Keep your house clean of any stray crumbs or food left out on the countertops

• Find any and all holes and cracks in the house and seal them to prevent easy points of entry

• Remove all clutter so there’s no place for cockroaches to hide or nest in

• Leave out roach bait instead of spraying as spraying could potentially contaminate surfaces you don’t want to be contaminated like countertops, appliances, etc.

• Sprinkle boric acid all over the kitchen cabinets, drawers, countertops, and sink. Make sure to apply under the sink, oven, fridge, and dishwasher. 

If you have a heavy infestation of cockroaches, you might have to pour a heavy application. While boric acid isn’t dangerous for humans in small doses it’s probably a good idea to leave the house for a couple of days if you do a heavy application. Once you’re back home, vacuum up any remaining boric acid and clean the area thoroughly with a wet rag. 

How to sleep well with allergies

While minimizing contact with your allergens as much as possible is the best way to improve your sleep, there are a few things you can do to get a good night’s sleep:

• If you know it’s allergy season, make sure to take some allergy pills right around dinnertime

• Use nasal sprays to clear sinus congestion before you go to bed

• Avoid opening your windows during the day time when pollen count is high

• Take a shower before you go to sleep to wash off all potential allergens

• Invest in a good air filter that will catch all common allergens

If your symptoms persist, it might be time to go see a specialist. There might be something else in your house that is causing your allergies or you might need something stronger than over-the-counter allergy medication. Before you see a specialist, make sure to keep track of all the steps you’ve tried so that you can relay that back to the doctor. 

Allergies Don’t Have To Keep You Up At Night

More often than not you can get a better night’s sleep by just following a few simple steps. With that said, it’s a good idea to pay attention to your body. If you are having more severe allergic reactions at night, keeping a journal can help pinpoint what might be causing it. 

Sleep allergies don’t have to keep you up at night. So long as you know how to approach them, you can finally get a good night’s rest. By following the tips above, you’re on your way to feeling more refreshed in the morning.

Rebekah Pierce is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Rebekah is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sleep education, natural, sleep products, electronics, fashion and many more. She is passionate about her work and family.

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