Many people with seasonal allergies experience the most suffering at night. Mitigating night-time allergy symptoms is critical for a good night sleep. Here are some things you can do to reduce your nighttime suffering:
- Take a shower. Before you go to bed, take a shower or bath. Pollen can cling to your clothes and body, so if you wash yourself thoroughly you are less likely to take it to bed with you.
- Vacuum your room. When the weather gets warmer, we often open the windows. However, this practice allows pollen to drift into your home. If you do keep your windows open during the day, shut them at night and then vacuum your bedroom before hitting the hay.
- Wash your sheets. Just as pollen can cling to your clothes, it can float into your home and cling to your sheets. Washing your sheets more often can take care of this problem.
- Try allergy medications. Popular allergy medicines like Claritin, Zertec and Allegra are great because they are designed to relieve your symptoms without interfering with your sleep. Try to avoid medications that have a “D” by their name, such as Claritin D. They have an ingredient that can cause wakefulness.
- Avoid using benadryl. Benadryl is commonly used to treat allergies, but it also tends to make you extremely sleepy. This might seem perfect, since we are talking about your nighttime routine, however Benadryl is so effective at causing sleep that you could develop a habit and then require it in order to get rest.
- Cleanse your sinuses. You can purchase an over-the-counter sinus rinse solution and use it each night to cleanse your sinuses of allergens. We suggest using a saline nasal spray during the day.
For most, allergy season won’t last long, perhaps a couple of weeks or a month or so. If you can ensure that you still sleep well during this time, you’ll be much better able to weather the allergy storm. And, when summer comes, you’ll be ready to enjoy life again allergy free!
