What Kind of Sleep Disturbances Can Come From Allergies? 8 Tips to Get Better Sleep Update 03/2024

Although the sight of blooming azaleas and rose bushes in gardens might be a welcome sight, they can also signal the beginning of allergy season. About 20 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other than plants, there are many other types of allergies!

Sneezing, itchy eyes, a runny or stuffed-up nose, and other symptoms can be caused by seasonal allergies. Allergies can make it difficult to sleep when you’re awake, and they can also make it difficult to deal with allergy symptoms while you’re in bed. Allergy symptoms can cause sleep problems, which are common. Sleep deprivation can contribute to a lack of energy during the day. But there is still hope for allergy patients everywhere. A look at the specifics of allergies, how they affect sleep, and techniques to alleviate the symptoms so you can sleep, live, and feel better will be discussed in this course.

Some suggestions for coping with allergies so that you can obtain the rest you require:

  • Try an air purifier. An air purifier can help people sleep better at night, regardless of whether they have allergies or not.
  • Keep doors and windows closed during pollen season. When pollen counts are high, some allergy sufferers benefit from keeping windows closed and using air conditioning in their homes and vehicles.
  • Explore medication options with your doctor. It’s a good idea to make an appointment with a doctor to find out what kind of allergies you have and what kind of treatment plan is best for you.

Types of Allergies

Allergies affect people in a variety of ways, including what they are allergic to, where they reside, and the season. Seasonal allergies are frequent for some people. Allergies to pollens or mold spores are most common in the spring, summer, and early fall in the United States. Dust mite allergies, on the other hand, may be the cause of year-round allergies. Dust mites or pet dander may be at blame if your allergies don’t seem to go away with the seasons. As a result, these can cause difficulty falling or staying asleep as well.

How Do Allergies Affect Sleep?

Allergic reactions to allergens can cause nasal congestion, sneezing, and watery eyes when they enter the nasal passages. Allergies usually lead to poor sleep quality since they impair your ability to breathe easily and worsen at night.

It’s possible that you’re missing out on sleep because of your allergy symptoms. You’ll be groggy and sluggish the next day if you don’t get enough sleep the night before5. Being sleepy can have a detrimental impact on your health and well-being at school and work. Anxiety and tension are exacerbated by lack of sleep, making it even more difficult to go off to sleep.

If you suffer from allergies, you may not be able to fall asleep or stay asleep. People with allergies may wake up in the middle of the night because of a stuffy nose, sneezing, or coughing fit. It’s not a good idea to rely on alcohol or sedatives to help you fall or stay asleep over time, as this can lead to a vicious cycle of allergy-induced sleep deprivation.

What Kind of Sleep Disturbances Can Come From Allergies?

There are many ways allergies can interfere with sleep. Asthma sufferers are substantially more likely8 to have sleep problems, such as insomnia.

  • Insomnia.
  • I’m having a hard time getting to sleep at night.
  • I’m having a hard time sleeping.
  • There has been an increase in the amount of snoring.
  • The risk of sleep apnea is heightened.
  • A lack of quality sleep.
  • Short slumber.

In the middle of the day, their issues don’t go away. As a result, they’re more likely9 to wake up with a headache or sinus pain in the morning.

If a person’s allergies are particularly severe, they may also have difficulty sleeping. A person’s allergy symptoms, in turn, affect their sleep quality.

Allergy-related sleep problems can lead to more significant issues like bedwetting, sleep apnea (OSA), sleep apnea (snoring), and other sleep-disordered breathing in certain people. The link between allergens and sleep apnea is particularly worrisome since we know that OSA can lead to weight gain, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and even death12.

Children with allergies are more likely to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, according to pediatric studies. Allergic rhinitis is more than twice as common in children with sleep apnea as in those without it. For children, sleep deprivation can have a devastating effect, causing them to miss school days, behavioral issues, difficulties with memory and concentration, and a worsening of their sleep disorders. IQ Trusted Source: 15x Information on biotechnology from the National Library of Medicine Science and health are aided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, which provides access to biomedical and genomic data. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

How Can You Sleep Better With Allergies?

Asthma and allergy sufferers may have difficulty sleeping, but it can be done. To help you deal with allergies and enjoy a better night’s sleep, here are seven ideas.

1. Use an Air Purifier.

Allergy sufferers and non-allergic people alike can benefit from using air purifiers16. They remove mold, dust mites, pet dander, and pollen from the air in your bedroom, as well as other typical household allergens.

2. Close Your Doors and Windows.

To avoid bringing allergens into your house, close your windows throughout the day. However, closed windows and doors can go a long way in protecting your bedroom from allergies.

3. Keep Your Furniture as Dust-Free as Possible

There is a lot of dust and dirt accumulated in the room’s little spaces. Most people are shocked by this. You should avoid drapes with heavy fabric or upholstered furniture in your bedroom. If at all feasible, avoid floor-to-ceiling carpet. To minimize the accumulation of dust, use sheets and pillowcases made of tightly woven cloth. The bedroom should be free of “dust collectors,” such as stuffed animals, imitation flowers, and outdated novels.

4. Keep Pets Out of Your Bedroom.

Sleeping in a separate room from your pet may help alleviate your allergies at night, as pet hair and dander are two major allergens. Pet them goodnight and place a cozy bed for them outside your bedroom door. Then wash your hands thoroughly!

5. Change Up Your Laundry Routine.

You should remove your clothing when you return to the house, especially on days with high pollen counts, and place it in the laundry room. Hanging things outside to dry is a bad idea. If you can, use a dryer instead of a hairdryer.

6. Shower Before Bed.

Taking a shower before going to sleep removes pollen. Be sure to take a shower before you go to sleep so that you’ll always be fresh and clean.

7. Take Allergy Medication at Night.

In the event that you now take your allergy medicine in the morning, you may want to switch it to the evening. Consult with your doctor beforehand, however. Because of this, you won’t have to worry about your prescription wearing off in the middle of the night.

8. Talk to Your Doctor.

Depending on the sort of allergies you have, your doctor can provide you with treatment alternatives. There are a variety of treatment options, including over-the-counter and prescription drugs, as well as dietary and behavioral modifications.

Reduce Pollen and Dander Exposure

Allergy sufferers benefit greatly from making a few alterations to their way of life. Pollen levels can be a problem for certain allergy sufferers, so keeping windows closed and utilizing air conditioning can help. If you have a pet, you may notice an improvement in your allergy symptoms if you keep your pet outside of your bedroom. If this is a problem for you, you could choose to create a separate sleeping area for your pet away from your bedroom. To prevent pet hair and dander, keep pets out of the bedroom during the daytime. After stroking your furry friends, be sure to wash your hands to avoid transferring allergens and dander into your nose or eyes. In addition to eliminating any pollen or dander that may have accumulated during the day, taking a shower before bed will help you sleep better at night. You may also want to consider purchasing an air purifier to decrease pet allergens.

Clean the Air for Better Sleep

An air purifier can help people sleep better at night, regardless of whether they have allergies or not. Allergies can be exacerbated by air pollution. Dust mites, mold, and pet dander are among the most common allergies. In bedding, such as sheets, pillows, and mattresses, several allergens may be present. The nighttime pollen count is larger than the daytime pollen count for some forms of pollen, which can be found both indoors and outside. Allergies can be lessened when sleeping if these particles are removed from the air by an air purifier.

A sort of sound known as pink noise is emitted by some air purifiers, such as the Alen BreatheSmart range, which can help people sleep better. Study participants with poor sleep quality were more likely to see a positive effect from the Alen BreatheSmart 45i than others, according to two separate SleepScore Labs investigations. In the initial trial, 96% of participants believed that using the Alen air purifier alleviated their allergy symptoms, and 93% said that using the Alen air purifier helped them sleep better than they had in the previous night. A statistically significant difference was seen in the quality of participants’ sleep when they used an air purifier in their bedroom during the second study, compared to the nights when they didn’t use an air purifier.

Many different treatments and tactics may be required to address an individual’s allergy. As a result, finding out what works best for you may necessitate some experimentation. While allergies can definitely affect your sleep, you can begin taking actions immediately to regulate your allergies and get the sleep that your body needs if you stay proactive and seek advice from your health care provider.

Allergies and sleep apnea: The CPAP connection

Another element that commonly comes into play when addressing allergies and slumber apnea: The CPAP therapy used to treat sleep apnea might be disrupted if a patient experiences an allergic response to the mask. (What is CPAP?). You can find out more here.

It’s possible to get around potential issues caused by the presence of both allergies and sleep apnea with the use of CPAP masks and therapeutic equipment. Full face masks are more helpful than nasal pillows masks if your allergies make breathing through your nose difficult, for example. You can breathe through your mouth and nose even if your nose is congested with a full face mask because it covers both areas.

If you’ve been diagnosed with both allergies and insomnia, enhanced CPAP technology in the form of APAP, or automated positive airway pressure, can help. How? With allergies, your breathing can change during the night, and APAP is intended to give the right amount of air to keep up with those changes.

Talk to your doctor or sleep therapist if your allergies are interfering with your treatment for sleep apnea. They may recommend a different CPAP mask or a different type of PAP machine.

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