Do you suffer from allergies and sneeze when sleeping in bed? Have you noticed that your allergies tend to get worse as bedtime approaches? If these are common symptoms for you when you’re trying to sleep, then you may be suffering from a condition known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever. While many people suffer from bad allergies during the spring, they are not limited to just seasonal allergies. They can get worse whenever bedtime arrives, which may lead to sleeplessness. Perhaps even more importantly, allergies can mean you don’t rest between your nighttime tasks and the following day’s work.
Do your allergies get worse in bed?: Get your questions answered!
6 Reasons Your Allergies Get Worse In Bed
Here are the top reasons why your allergies get worse in bed:
1. Lying Down Worsens Congestion
When you lie down, your airways narrow and block airflow. This makes breathing more difficult than when you’re upright or sitting up.
2. Your Bedroom Is Full of Dust Mites and Mold
Dust mites are microscopic bugs that live in carpets, rugs, and pillows — where we spend lots of time at night. They feed on dead skin cells (and shed their own), so they’re constantly floating around our bedrooms. Mold spores are everywhere, too — especially inside homes with damp basements or leaky roofs. Both types of allergens aggravate asthma symptoms and make sneezing worse because they irritate the nasal passages and throat lining.
3. Your Pet Sleeps in Your Bed
This is one of the biggest reasons people ask me how to cure their allergies. Many people want to know how they can get rid of their pets in hopes it will cure their allergies. It’s not as easy as getting rid of the pet. You need to make sure you’re taking all possible steps to keep them from coming back into contact with your house, especially your bed.
4. You Tracked Pollen Inside
Many people don’t realize this, but pollen can stick to your clothes and shoes and then track inside once you get home from outside. If you have carpeting in your bedroom or elsewhere in the house, it will stick to that too. When you enter your bedroom at night and get ready for bed, all those allergens will come into contact with your body directly through your skin and mucous membranes, which causes inflammation and swelling of the tissues around them (like your eyes). This increases mucus production, making allergies get worse in bed as you can’t breathe properly.
5. Using the wrong air filter
Air filters come in many shapes and sizes, so choosing one that’s right for your needs is essential. If you have an HVAC system with a HEPA filter, you’ll need to replace it every 6 months; if not, you’ll need to buy a replacement every 2 months at a minimum.
6. Skipping your evening shower
After coming home from work, taking a hot shower is one of the best ways to relax and help yourself unwind before bedtime. However, if you skip this step because it will make your nose run, then you’ll be causing more problems than if you just jumped in the shower anyway! Ignoring your evening shower can also lead to dry skin and other issues down there that could make for even more discomfort when trying to sleep.Â
What Types of Allergies Get Worse In Bed at Night?
Allergies get worse in bed at night because your body is more relaxed, and it’s easier to notice the symptoms. Here are some common types:
Pollen Allergies / Hay Fever
Your immune system reacts to pollen by producing immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. These antibodies attach themselves to mast cells throughout your body, including the lining of your nose and eyes. When you inhale pollen, the mast cells release histamine, which causes inflammation and swelling.
Dust Mite Allergy
Dust mites are tiny insects that live in bedding and carpets where they feed on skin scales and dander from humans. They’re so small that we don’t see them with our naked eye but feel their effects when we breathe them in or touch them with our hands. The most common symptom of dust mite allergy is asthma flare-ups triggered by inhalation of dust mite fecal particles. This type of allergy isn’t usually triggered by contact with materials like fabrics or carpets — it’s airborne allergens that can trigger an attack.
How to Prevent Nighttime Allergy Symptoms
Here are some tips for dealing with allergies at night:
Move your shower to the evening:
If you are sensitive to dust mites or other allergens, try moving your shower too after dinner time and before bedtime. This will reduce the number of allergens in the air while you sleep; If you don’t do this, your allergies get worse in bed.
Keep your windows closed in the evening
If you live in an area where pollen is a problem during certain times of the year, keeping windows closed during those hours can help prevent pollen from coming into your home and affecting you while you sleep. Even if pollen isn’t an issue where you live, keeping windows closed at night can prevent other irritants, such as cigarette smoke, from affecting your sleep quality and causing allergic reactions like coughing fits and runny noses.
Wash your sheets weekly or twice per week
The best way to prevent allergens from accumulating on your sheets is to wash them frequently. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology recommends washing linens weekly or every two weeks to prevent bedbugs and other pests from infesting your bed.
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Deep clean your home once per month
It can be difficult to keep your home clean daily if you have children, pets, or both. Schedule a deep clean once per month to prevent allergens from building up in your home. During this time, you can vacuum carpets, dust shelves and furniture, and even clean window sills if necessary. This will help ensure that all the dirt and dust that can cause allergies are removed from your home.
Conclusion
However, the worst place to sleep is in the bedroom because mattresses and pillows usually contain a significant amount of dust mites. It’s better to take allergy medicines before bed since they help us sleep better through the night. If you still have issues come morning, it would be best if you consulted an allergist and had your home inspected for traces of dust mites or other allergens.
Advance Your Sleep with our techniques if your allergies get worse in bed!
