Are Allergy Symptoms Worse In The Morning

Dust Your Furniture Regularly

Go a week without vacuuming or dusting your furniture, especially in a sunny well lit room and youll notice a film of dust collecting on bedside tables, dresser drawers and any other surface that doesnt get touched often.

If you dont have a regular cleaning routine that includes dusting and often wake up with a stuffy nose, dust mites may be to blame. A dust mite allergy is more common than you might realize.

You may be at higher risk for dust mites too if your bedroom decor includes large heavy drapes, lots of decorative pillows and upholstered furniture. Carpeting, shaggy rugs, stuffed animals, dolls, and books are also dust traps that need to be vacuumed often or dusted regularly.

Ways To Prevent Morning Allergy Triggers

The good news is that there are steps you can take to limit your morning allergy symptoms. Some things to try include:

• Keep windows closed: When pollen counts are high, close windows and use air-conditioning instead.
• Take allergy medicine: When taken before exposure to pollen, antihistamines can keep your allergy symptoms at bay.
• Shower before bed: Showering will remove pollen from your skin and hair. Be sure to put on clothing that has not been exposed to allergens before getting into bed, too.
• Lower humidity: This can help reduce dust mite allergies and indoor mold allergies.
• Clean regularly: Cover your mattress and pillows with special dust mite covers and wash your bedding in hot water every week. In addition, dust hard surfaces and vacuum carpets, especially those in the bedroom.
• Replace carpet with hard flooring: Pet dander and dust mites love to hide in carpets. If you cant replace all carpets in the home, start with the one in your bedroom.

This Is Why Your Allergies Are So Much Worse In The Morning

No reason you should start your day already stuffed up and sneezing. But it’s first thing in the morning and already your allergy symptoms are giving you a lot of trouble.

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You’re not imagining things. In fact, some allergy sufferers only experience symptoms in the mornings, Robert Eitches, MD, a board-certified allergist and immunologist with Tower Allergy in Los Angeles, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

Think of your allergy reservoir like a well. Once it fills up and overflows from allergen exposures, you get symptoms. And you can easily meet that threshold in the morning, Dr. Eitches says.

Plus, don’t forget that when you’re laying down, you’re going to naturally feel more stuffed up.

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Wake Up Feeling Like You Have A Cold Your Bedding Might Be To Blame

Many people struggle to sleep through the night due to congestion, coughing, sneezing and other allergy-like symptoms. You might even find yourself waking up with a stuffy nose and sore throat.

Chronic nasal congestion is a common problem affecting almost one in four Americans, a recent survey found. Over half of these people, 60%, reported that it affects their ability to get a good night’s sleep.

So, what causes so many people to experience these symptoms at night and in the morning? One corner of TikTok is peddling the notion that it’s an allergy to dust mites. Products you can purchase to get rid of them are easy to find on the app from sheets that dust mites supposedly can’t live in to special cleaners that target them.

While it’s true that allergies whether to dust mites or something else may be one of the reasons you wake feeling like you have a cold, there are a few things to know before you revamp your bedroom and sleep routine, experts tell TODAY.com.

Are Allergies Worse In The Morning Or At Night

Do you ever wake up in the morning congested, coughing, or with a sore throat? Or maybe you struggle to get to sleep at night because of sneezing or difficulty breathing? It varies from person to person, but some people find that their allergies are worse at certain times of the day.

Morning AllergiesIf you suffer from allergies and wake up in the morning feeling worse than you did when you went to bed, it may be because of various different factors. Common triggers for morning allergies are:

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What Is A Pollen Count

If youre a long-standing sufferer of hayfever youre probably used to staying up to date with the pollen count in your area. After all, it can help you plan ahead in terms of the activities you want to do and the medications you will need to take. So, pollen counts are crucial for anyone with this allergy but how exactly are they calculated?

Well, the count is determined by the number of pollen grains from trees, weeds and grass in a specific area. Less than fifty pollen grains in an area is considered to be a low count whilst if there are more than one thousand pollen grains, the count will be deemed high.

The pollen count will fluctuate depending on things like weather and, as I will soon discuss, the time of day. However, pollen levels are also determined by the time of year as well.

Tree pollen is distributed between the end of March and the middle of May for example, and this includes varieties like ash, birch and oak, as well as many others. This means that during this time counts for tree pollen will be at their highest. Weeds like nettle and dock on the other hand, pollinate from the end of June to October so levels are higher at this time. Finally, grass pollen, which is the most common allergy, spreads from the end of June to October and so counts are highest in these months.

Can Morning Allergies Be Prevented

In the case of wanting to avoid its appearance, there are some tips that can help with allergy symptoms in the morning, whether it is allergic rhinitis or non-allergic rhinitis.

• Do not sleep with pets or let them climb on the bedding. Bathe animals at least once a week to reduce allergens at home.
• Remove the carpet from the bedroom and replace it with hardwood or tile floors.
• Use a dehumidifier to lower the humidity level in the bedroom below 50 percent. This helps kill dust mites.
• Place a dust mite-proof cover over the mattress and pillow.
• Take an antihistamine every night before you go to sleep. Although it is necessary that you consult a specialist doctor first.
• Dust surfaces at least once a week and keep your bedroom tidy to reduce dust build-up.
• Vacuum the carpet at least once a week using a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Wash bedding, including sheets and pillowcases, once a week in hot water .
• Dont sleep with the windows open. This can help remove pollen from the room.
• Raise the head of the bed six to eight inches to reduce the reflux of stomach acid while you sleep.

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Lying Down Worsens Congestion

Gravity is not your friend when it comes to your bedtime allergies. “When you lie down, basically everything in your nose starts dripping down your throat,” explained Dr. Parikh. Due to 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, said Dr. Parikh.

Propping yourself up with some extra pillows might help ease congestion and post-nasal drip while you sleep.

Say Goodnight And Goodbye To Allergies

Getting to know your and your kids allergies and what you respond to the most is crucial. Do you tend to have the most severe symptoms in mid-spring, or does hay fever come for you strongest in the summer?

When youre armed with this knowledge, you can make informed decisions about when you expose yourself to allergens and how.

From there, you can take steps to bring fewer allergens into your home and relieve your symptoms, making a good nights sleep a reality.

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Treatments For Allergic Rhinitis From A Gp

If pharmacy medicines do not help ease your allergic rhinitis symptoms, a GP may prescribe a different medicine, such as prescription steroid nasal sprays or antihistamines.

You may be referred to a specialist for further tests and treatment if it’s not clear what’s causing your symptoms or they’re severe.

Reduce Pollen At Home

Avoid bringing pollen back inside after youve been outdoors. Take your shoes off and change your clothes when you get home. Shower before going to bed to remove pollen from your body. And dont have your furry pets sleep with you, Dr. Hong said. Even if youre not allergic to your pets, there is pollen on their coats.

In order to sleep better, you can try zipping up your mattress and pillows in hypoallergenic encasements, washing bedding in hot soapy water once a week and using a dryer instead of a clothesline.

Dr. Hong also recommended cleaning and replacing your air-conditioner filter with one that has a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value of 11 or higher. These filters are capable of capturing tiny pollen particles. If you have severe allergies, you may even want to splurge for a professional-style HEPA filter in your bedroom. HEPA filters typically have a MERV rating of 17 or higher and remove 99 percent of pollen, as well as animal dander, dust and other particles.

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You Tracked Pollen Inside

If it’s not the indoor allergens making your symptoms worse, it could be the pollen you unknowingly brought inside. Pollen can linger on your skin, hair, and clothing, explained Dr. Parikh, so before bed, take a shower and put on clean PJs when outdoor allergies are making you miserable.

Of note: If your pet is allowed to explore the outdoors, they’re also picking up some pollen during their adventuresanother convincing reason to keep them out of the bedroom.

Versus Oral Allergy Medications

You can use nasal sprays in combination with oral allergy medications to treat your allergies or just use nasal sprays as your sole treatment.

Though, some research supports the use of nasal sprays over oral medications for treating nasal allergies.

One study compared a fluticasone furoate nasal steroid spray with taking a combination of the oral antihistamine and antileukotriene . The researchers found that nasal sprays were more effective in treating nasal symptoms than taking oral medications.

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What Is The Worst Allergy Month

Interesting Allergy Findings Nationwide, spring is the worst allergy season. Across all 50 states, October has the lowest allergen search traffic. February is the worst month for winter allergies, particularly toward the end of the month when plants start blooming once again.

What time of day are allergies lowest?

On an average day, pollen counts rise during the morning, peak about midday, and then gradually fall. So the lowest pollen counts are usually before dawn and in the late afternoon to early evening.

Why Are My Allergies Worse At Night

In people with allergies, exposure to âtriggerâ substances like pet dander or dust mites irritates the nasal passages and leads to uncomfortable symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, and itchiness around the mouth or other sensitive areas. These common irritants are commonly found in the bedroom, and in our bedding. Pillows and bedspreads house dust mites and pet dander, making allergy symptoms flare up. To avoid this, be sure to wash your bedding, including your pillows, frequently.

Nasal congestion is often worse at night, and certain allergy medications can also interfere with sleep. As a result, people with allergies often experience insomnia, nighttime awakenings Trusted SourceNational Center for Biotechnology InformationThe National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, and daytime sleepiness. Theyâre also at risk for co-existing conditions such as nighttime awakenings and sleep-related breathing disorders.

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Give Your Sinuses A Bath

For a medication-free option, consider nasal irrigation. The practice traces back thousands of years to the Ayurvedic medical traditions of India and its effectiveness is backed by research. To try it yourself, use a neti pot, bulb syringe or squeeze bottle and pour a saline solution in one nostril, letting it drain out the other.

It seems like a simple concept, but it helps flush out mucus, pollen and other allergens in your nasal cavity, said Dr. Laura Chong, an allergist at the Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic in Oklahoma City.

The result is that you feel less congested and you may need less allergy medication, Dr. Chong said.

Are Allergies Worse During The Day Or Night

Allergy symptoms can get worse at night because one of the places where dust and pet dander build up are your mattress. If you have seasonal or environmental allergies, your symptoms may come and go at different times of the day. You may experience worse nighttime allergies, morning allergies, or even both.

Why do my allergy symptoms get worse at night?

Warm temperatures push pollen into the air, but cooler evening air means that pollen falls back down to cover outdoor surfaces at night. If you collect pollen in your hair or clothes over the course of the day, it can cause bedtime allergy symptoms once youre in for the night.

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What Are Other Causes Of Allergy Symptoms In The Morning

Allergy symptoms in the morning arent only caused by allergens, though. Nonallergic rhinitis can also trigger morning allergy symptoms like congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and coughing.

Allergic rhinitis and nonallergic rhinitis cause similar symptoms. The difference is that nonallergic rhinitis doesnt involve the immune system. Rather, other irritants and factors trigger allergy-like symptoms. These factors include:

Why Do I Wake Up With A Morning Sinus Or Blocked Nose

Many of us have at some point woken up in the morning with a runny or blocked nose, and constant sneezing. Fortunately for some of us, these episodes can go away moments after waking up. However, for others, they can last throughout the day. If you do wake up with a runny nose or blocked nose, and you dont have the flu, you might be dealing with allergic rhinitis or an allergic reaction to one or more allergens in your home1.

Before you conclude that you have a medical condition stemming from these symptoms, eliminate this list of common particles2 that are present in most bedrooms.

Most common reasons for allergy in bedrooms

Dust is one of the most common and most overlooked allergens. Most homes have dust mites that create dust regularly. However, most people notice it only when the particles accumulate on a plain surface.

Pollen is a common allergen even in countries like Singapore where humid conditions last all-year long. These particles usually enter your home from your air conditioning system or open windows. If your home employs a central air conditioner, you may notice these allergy symptoms even if you clean your home regularly. Pollen counts are highest in the morning, and therefore, you may see an increase in your morning sinus.

• Pollens on pets

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Why Are Allergies Worse In The Morning

You seem to go through the same routine day after day this time of year. You wake up with congestion, a runny nose, watery eyes and a cough that wont quit. Annoyed, you drag yourself out of bed and straight to the kitchen or bathroom so you can administer your allergy medication.

Within a few hours, you start to feel better. By lunchtime, most of your symptoms have subsided. Once you leave work, you feel pretty good, and youre even better at night. Then you go to sleep and wake up only to do it all over again, suffering with symptoms as your alarm goes off.

Is it just you? Far from it. This isnt a result of your medication wearing off, either. You very well may have worse allergies in the morning than other times of the day.

What Can I Do About It

There is no cure for a ragweed pollen allergy. But there are ways to treat and manage it.

Track the pollen count for your area. The news media often reports the count for your area, especially when pollen is high. You also can get your areas pollen counts from the National Allergy Bureau.

Stay indoors in central air conditioning when the pollen count is high. Get a CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® air filter for your air conditioner. If you do spend time outside, try to go out in the afternoons and evenings. Ragweed pollen peaks in mornings.

Prevent pollen from being tracked into your home. If you spend a lot of time outside during peak pollen time:

• Take your shoes off outside
• Dont wear your outside clothes to bed
• Cover your hair when outside or wash it at night

You might even consider moving to get away from ragweed. This will often help you feel better for a short time. But you can develop allergies to plants in your new location in a few years. And ragweed is found in every state except Alaska. A well-thought out treatment plan is a better way to live with your allergies.

Take anti-inflammatory or antihistamine medicines, and start treatment in the summer. Many over-the-counter medicines work well to control pollen allergy symptoms. They can also help eye, nose and asthma symptoms. Many newer antihistamines dont cause as much drowsiness as older ones.

With SLIT, you take a small dose of an allergen under your tongue. You also gradually become more sensitive.

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