Seasonal allergies can take a real toll on your quality of sleep. Long nights of wheezing, sneezing, tossing, and turning leave allergy sufferers feeling drained. This year, take control of your symptoms with our top tips for reducing allergen and pollen levels in your Atlanta area home and, crucially, where you sleep. Enjoy a better night’s sleep with minor tweaks to your household routine!
Allergies and Sleep: What’s the Connection?
It’s important to understand that an allergy-free home is not a reality. Pollen, dust, and other airborne irritants are almost always present in small quantities. Typically, your home's air filtration system helps to minimize these irritants. However, during pollen allergy season, the dry winter months, or in the presence of mold growth, the concentration of allergens can rise significantly, causing allergy symptoms.
Roughly40% of Americans have seasonal allergies. Considerable research links allergies to poor-quality sleep. A restless night’s sleep contributes to daytime fatigue and an increased risk ofdeveloping sleep disorders.
How to Tackle Allergies in Your Bedroom
Are you tired of losing sleep to your unconquerable allergies? Reducing the presence of allergens like dust (and dust mites), pollen, dirt, pet dander, and pet hair from your bedroom may help to reduce the severity of your symptoms. Give this tried-and-true anti-allergy playbook a shot!
1. Keep Pollen Out
During allergy season, keep windows and doors closed, especially from late morning to early evening when pollen levels peak.
2. Shower Up
When you get home, remove your outer layers of clothing at the door and shower to wash pollen off your skin and hair.
3. Banish Dust Mites in the Bedroom
Dust and vacuum your bedroom weekly to stay ahead of dust, pollen, and other contaminants. You may need to dust your bedroom every other day if you have severe allergies.
4. Keep Pets Out of the Bedroom
Provide your pet with a cozy place to sleep in a separate room or at least on the bedroom floor. And don’t forget to wash your pet’s bedding frequently (think once a week).
5. Maintain Your HVAC System
Replace your HVAC system’s air filter at least every 1-3 months, more frequently, if you have severe environmental allergies. Keep your system in good working order with annual maintenance.
6. Use an air purifier
Augment your HVAC system with a standalone air purifier. Choose a unit with a HEPA filter and set it up in the middle of your room, where air can circulate freely.
Read More: Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Why Do My Allergies Get Worse at Night?
It’s not just you. Allergy symptoms are often worse in the evening because of histamine and pollen levels (which tend to peak at night), body position (lying down may change how mucus travels through your sinuses), and temperature and humidity changes.
Where Should I Place the Air Purifier in My Bedroom?
Air purifier placement is critical for maximizing the device’s effectiveness. Ideally, place it near the middle of your room to improve airflow, on a slightly elevated object, such as a sturdy shoebox, and relatively close to a likely source of allergens, like a pet bed or a surface with a penchant for collecting dust.
Does Sleeping with a Humidifier Help Allergies?
A portable humidifier can help thin out mucus and keep your nasal passages nice and moist, making breathing easier when you’re sick or suffering from environmental allergies. Remember that too much humidity can lead to mold and mildew, which can worsen allergies. Keep humidity levels between 30% and 50% for optimal comfort.
Take On Allergy Season with Help from Assured Comfort Heating, Air & Plumbing
Maintaining a comfortable and allergen-resistant home is easier than you might think. Our experienced technicians can help you identify and implement indoor air quality upgrades to make your home more comfortable, today.
Call 770-464-5745 or contact us online to schedule HVAC, electrical, or plumbing services in Douglasville, Atlanta, and the surrounding areas.