Sleeping With Allergies: How To Deal With It?

Written By Anđela Rajković

Certified Sleep Consultant

9 April 2024 4 min read

You are trying to fall asleep but you keep coughing, sneezing, getting up for tissues, your eyes are red and irritated? Sleeping with allergies can be a real big problem. There are no pleasant nights and you are chronically tired and sleep deprived during the allergy season. You just can’t catch a break! Cheer up, there are some great tips that can improve your nighttime!

One of the most important tips when it comes to coping with allergy season is getting the allergens out of your clothes! Change your laundry washing habits, turn up the heat a bit. Washing clothes in higher degrees will help you get rid of those allergens that irritate your eyes and sinuses. Also, have many showers during the day. This is a great way of preventing any pollen particles from your hair getting on your pillow or bedspread. Now, this tip is just for warming up! Let’s see what else you can do to improve your sleeping with allergies!

Indoor Hygiene

Sleeping with allergies gets a lot easier if you keep the allergens away from your home. You can’t control the outside air, but you can control the environment of your home. Use this to the maximum. Keep your windows closed and try not to let any pollen indoors. While conducting this practice it’s very important to keep your home extra clean. Dust inside of your home can irritate your sinuses if you are prone to allergies.

Right choices for the spare time

Swimming in the indoor pools can worsen your allergy problem due to the chlorine. Use inside pools instead if you like to swim in your spare time. Also, a gym would be a better choice than jogging outside. Try to limit your activities to clean inside spaces during the allergy season. But don’t skip on your physical activities, they can actually help you sleep better.

Avoid exposure to cigarette smoke

It is very important not to share closed spaces with smokers if you are allergy prone. Even inside of well-ventilated spaces cigarette smoke can still do some damage to your sensitive sinuses. In a case that you are a smoker, you may want to stop smoking, at least temporarily, during the allergy season. Quitting cigarettes might take some time. So, during that period, be sure to stop smoking hours before bed. Sleeping with allergies after an exposure to cigarette smoke can get a whole lot worse.

Salt water sinus rinse

Some people claim that salt water solution helps them a lot to “unblock” their sinuses. Ask your doctor about this practice, it may help you too. Keep your irrigation device sterile and rinse your sinuses before bedtime.

Timing the meds

Many people experience difficulties with sleeping with allergies because they timed their pills the wrong way. Taking the allergy medication when it’s too late can create a lot of unnecessary inconveniences. Doctors advice taking allergy meds before being exposed to the allergen, and before bedtime, not just in the morning. Some medications are too strong and can’t be taken more than once a day, but their effect doesn’t last for 24 hours. Talk to your doctor about choosing the right kind of medication that will have an effect both during the day and the night.

Pets out of the bed

You probably have wondered should your dog sleep in bed, right? Remember that you may get out every trace of pollen from the air of your home and your clothes, but it gets a bit harder to get it out from your pet’s fur. Cats and dogs carry a lot of allergens in their fur, and a simple bath sometimes doesn’t do the trick. Even besides this, pets can irritate sinuses of people who are highly sensitive to allergens. Be sure to keep your pets outside of your bedroom during allergy season.

Less stress

Stress significantly worsens sleeping with allergies. Try to be calmer when it comes to work, school or emotionally stressful events in your life. Getting the stress out of the picture will improve your sleeping in general, especially sleeping with allergies.

Skipping the drinks

It’s proved that alcohol has a negative effect on sensitive sinuses. Sleeping with allergies after an alcoholic drink can get very uncomfortable, especially for women.

Elevate your head

When it comes to simple tricks on how to improve your sleeping with allergies, this is one of the best! Support your head with an extra pillow in order to beat the negative effect that gravity has on your clogged sinuses.

Getting the dehumidifier

Too much of humidity can harm your sinuses. During the allergy season, any extra moisture is not welcome in your home. Buy a dehumidifier for starters. Now, if you feel like being extra safe, consult an expert on doing some repairs on your house in order to make it more moisture prone.

Conclusion

Sleeping with allergies can be quite irritating experience on so many levels. But don’t give up, there are ways to make your night hassle free. Controlling your sleeping environment is the most important. So, kick out the allergens, dust mites, moisture, and cigarette smoke from your home! Also, your pet should have a temporary ban on your bedroom. We know that allergies can make you nervous, but stress makes you sleeping even worse. Follow our tips, visit your doctor if necessary and always remember to stay positive!

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About the author

Anđela Rajković

As a CPD certified Sleep Consultant and well-practiced sleep enthusiast, I find a lot of joy in bringing my expertise to our readers – preferably those who love to sleep. With a background in the English language and literature and a love of research, I'm always seeking new ways to share the latest sleep science and bed-related findings. And, when I'm not connecting with my readers, you can find me exploring the great outdoors, or, well, curling up in bed.