You battle through the sniffly nose, burning eyes, and constant sneezing all day long, and if that isn’t enough, as soon as it comes to bedtime to get some respite from these symptoms, they suddenly seem to get 100% worse!
And no, it’s not just in your head, there are real reasons why your symptoms may worsen throughout the night making sleep feel almost impossible.
Throughout this article, we will go through 5 of the main reasons why your allergies get worse at night and some ways to try and combat them so that you can hopefully get some well-needed shut-eye.
Lying Down Can Make Congestion Worse
This is slightly inconvenient as lying down is a pretty essential part of getting comfy for sleep.
When you lie down, essentially everything that usually drips out of your nose when you are stood up drips right back down your nose and throat.
This can then cause you to wheeze, cough, or have more difficulty breathing.
If you’re finding this the case when you are trying to sleep, try using an extra pillow or two to prop yourself higher up. This can help ease some of the congestion and stop all the gunk dripping down your throat.
There’s Dust Mites And Mold In Your Bedroom
While your allergies can get worse at night, it won’t tend to be the pollen count that is the cause. That offender tends to come in the early hours of the morning.
There may, however, be other factors in your room that are contributing to you feeling unwell at night.
Dust mites love to make themselves at home in many places in your room, your mattress and your pillows will probably be some of their favorite places to live.
Any mold in your room can also leave you feeling pretty poorly too.
If you are already experiencing allergic reactions to outside factors such as pollen, coming home and trying to sleep in a room with further irritations is going to leave you feeling pretty rough.
Keeping your room clean is a good start; make sure you are changing your bedding regularly.
If you can try to keep away from carpeted floors and if you can’t make sure that you are running the vacuum around frequently.
Keep your windows shut to keep any of that pesky pollen out of the room and use an air purification system to try and combat any mold or mildew in your room.
You Share Your Bed With Your Pet
Now, this one might upset you a little if you’re a fan of cuddling up to your furry friend at night. If you are already slightly allergic to a pet, it’s probably not the best idea to let them up onto your bed (I know, I’m sorry.)
This is because the dander that accumulates on your carpet or on your comforter or sheets can set off your allergic reaction and can make your symptoms much worse.
This is often not a very popular suggestion, we all know that pets are like family.
And it can feel quite upsetting to remove yourself from them, even just for the night. But honestly, if it’s causing your symptoms to flare up, it is the best option for your health.
You’ve Brought Pollen Inside The House
If none of the aforementioned points are the cause of your allergies getting worse, it is possible that you may have accidentally brought some pollen into the home.
Pollen will cling to many things so it can be hard to ensure that it doesn’t enter the home, it may be on your hair, skin, or clothing.
To combat this, I would suggest always changing into clean PJs after a shower once you come home in hopes that you can rid yourself of any lingering pollen.
If you have pets, they also may be bringing pollen into the home with them. Don’t worry, I won’t tell you not to cuddle them, we both know that would be impossible.
Instead, just be sure to wash your hands once you’ve finished so that you don’t then spread the pollen over the rest of your body.
You’re Not As Busy
One reason that your allergies may seem that much worse at night, might just be because you’ve finally got the time to notice them.
Sometimes it can be hard to keep track of time, and when you’re that busy you just don’t have the time to realize just how poorly you might feel.
Effectively, sometimes we just don’t have the time to feel sorry for ourselves, and it’s only once the day draws to an end and there are no jobs left to focus on (or if there is they’re tomorrow’s problem) that we start to really feel those symptoms.
This is why it’s always best to take some over-the-counter allergy medication when it comes to bedtime, to try and elevate some of those irritating symptoms that rob us of our sleep.
Final Thoughts
Allergies are never fun at the best of times, but definitely feel much worse when they are keeping you from falling asleep at the end of a difficult day.
If you’re finding yourself staring at the ceiling most nights wishing for the symptoms to fade away, try propping yourself up with a few pillows when you go to bed, keep your room clean, and wash your bedding regularly.
Keep pets away from your bed if they seem to be causing irritation, make sure you’re wearing clean PJs for bed, and try to pop some allergy meds just before you intend to go to bed.
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