Seasonal allergy can make symptoms very difficult for sleep. Any allergen to which you expose yourself, any lying down before sleeping, or use of humidifier can further trigger allergies, making them much worse at night. Here’s how you should look into nighttime allergies, their sleep effect, methods of treatment, and when a visit to your healthcare provider might be necessary:.
Causes of Nighttime Allergy Symptoms
If you experience problems with your allergies at night, it might be because you are exposed to allergens before bedtime. Your sleeping position or use of a humidifier could also be the basis for nighttime allergy symptoms.
1. Sleeping in a Dusty or Moldy Room
Your allergies may spike at night especially when you put all those indoors into the fray. A lot of people have allergies in bed, Purvi Parikh, MD, an allergist and immunologist with NYU Langone Health and a clinical associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine told Health.
For instance, mold can grow in the walls of older houses or after water damage, causing allergic reactions if it is not removed.
2. Lying Down
Gravity is not your friend when it comes to your bedtime allergies: Lying down can make your symptoms worse.
“When you lie down, basically everything in your nose starts dripping down your throat,” said Dr. Parikh. Because of the anatomy of the nose and throat, that can lead to more or worse coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing than when you’re standing upright, added Dr. Parikh.
3. Sleeping With a Pet Nearby
Another common allergen that can make things worse in your bedroom is pet dander, which are dead skin cells shed by mammals. Pet dander also stays in the air longer and also can settle on your carpet or comforter.
4. Tracking Pollen Inside
If it is not the indoor allergens that are worsening your symptoms, then it could be the pollen you brought inside unknowingly. Additionally, if your pet is allowed to go out, they will pick up some pollen during their adventures that they could take to the bedroom
5. Using a Humidifier
Humidifiers, though helpful when the sinuses are dry can contribute to many other causes why allergy symptoms occur worse at night. Dust mites require moisture in order to be able to develop, and then a humidifier adds that element to the environment. Additionally, mold spores cultivated in a humidifier may become air-borne as well if filters are not periodically cleaned or exchanged.
How Allergies Affect Sleep
Even if you have daytime allergies and no problems with nighttime allergies, allergies can still affect your sleep. Sneezing and sniffling can make it hard to get a good night’s sleep. There are also associations between allergies and:
- Daytime sleepiness
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Poor sleep
- Restless sleep
- Use of sleep medication
- Snoring
For some people, the medications they take to relieve allergy symptoms can interfere with sleep. Some over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as certain antihistamines and decongestants, can cause sleep disturbance.
Allergies do not cause obstructive sleep apnea, but in a patient suffering from this disease, they are likely to make the symptoms worse. OSA is one of the common sleep disorders, where your airway experiences complete or partial collapses. Oxygen saturation decreases when such collapses take place.
Since allergies lead to nasal congestion, there is a likelihood that it can result in brief episodes of snoring and not breathing, which are symptoms of OSA. A person, therefore, might end up with worse symptoms of the sleep disorder in the long term.
Types of Allergies That Worsen at Night
Dust mite allergy symptoms usually aggravate at nighttime. That’s because you get exposed to these mites especially when lying. They can move into your mattresses, box spring, or your pillows.
Sufferers allergic to specific sorts of pollen generally have problems concerning nighttime allergy manifestations. Grasses, ragweed, and some tree pollens are normally the highest at cooling nights.
Peak Time of Day for Allergies
Depending on the type of allergy a person has, he or she might have more issues with symptoms related to allergy during certain parts of the day. For instance, people with pollen allergies might sneeze and blow their noses:
- After it has rained
- In the morning hours
- On a warm, windy day
How To Calm Allergy Symptoms at Night
- Dust or mold in the bedroom: Remove carpeting or vacuum it frequently, use dust mite covers for mattresses and box springs, and consider an air purifier.
- Humidifiers: Consider leaving your humidifier off or cleaning it regularly if you plan to use it.
- Pets: This is always a sore recommendation, according to Dr. Parikh, but she tells patients to stop allowing their pets in their beds. Find a different place for your pets to sleep outside of the bedroom.
- Pollen: “Pollen clings to skin, hair, and clothing,” Dr. Parikh said. Shower at night and change into fresh PJs if you are bothered by outdoor allergies. In addition, sleep with windows closed to reduce the amount of pollen that enters your sleeping space.
- Sleeping position: Using extra pillows to prop yourself up can help alleviate congestion and post-nasal drip during the night.
- When to See a Healthcare Provider
- Sometimes, your allergy symptoms need medical help. You’ll want to see an allergist if you have
- Allergy symptoms most of the year
- Allergy symptoms not well-controlled with OTC medications or that interfere with daily functioning and quality of life
- Chronic sinus infections
- Frequent nasal congestion, sneezing, or wheezing
- Trouble breathing
- Undesirable side effects from OTC allergy medications
Besides this, allergies might leave you with the feeling of fatigue because sleep gets disrupted. The fatigue that develops may result from untreated or under-treated allergies. See an allergist and get your allergies confirmed so you know you’re not overfatigued just because of untreated allergies; often, fatigue could also be associated with other medical conditions such as anemia, heart disease, or mental disorders.
