Why Are My Allergies Worse In The Morning And At Night
Do you wake up with morning headaches, feeling congested, or sniffling? Do you struggle to go to sleep at night because of sneezing and wheezing?
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.
Hereâs why your allergies may be worse at night or in the morning, and what you can do about it.
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Treatments For Hay Fever From A Gp
Your GP might prescribe a steroid treatment, such as a steroid nasal spray.
If steroids and other hay fever treatments do not work, your GP may refer you for immunotherapy.
This means you’ll be given small amounts of pollen as an injection or tablet to slowly build up your immunity to pollen.
This kind of treatment usually starts in the winter about 3 months before the hay fever season begins.
Immunotherapy is a specialist service that may not be available everywhere.
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Ways To Manage Allergies
Allergies can cause great misery. Luckily, there are options to help manage symptoms and continue doing the things you enjoy. The goal is to find the treatment that best suits your allergies, your lifestyle, and your wallet. Here are three of the most common ways to find relief from allergy symptoms.
Symptoms Of Morning Allergies Include:
â Runny, itchy, or stuffy nose or sneezing
â Itchy, red, or watery eyes
â Coughing or wheezing
â Morning headache, caused by nasal congestion and inflammation
â Sore throat, either from allergens irritating your throat or from mucus collecting in the back of your nose and throat
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Ways To Sleep Better With Sinus Pain And Congestion
Are sinus woes keeping you from getting quality rest? Try these sinus pain and congestion relief strategies to sleep better.
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Not sleeping well affects both your body and your mood, but when you have sinus pain and congestion, getting a good nights sleep may be easier said than done. Sinusitis, often referred to as a sinus infection, occurs when there is swelling in the nasal sinuses and passages. You may experience symptoms like pressure around the nose, eyes, or forehead, a stuffed-up nose, and thick mucus. Some people also report tooth pain with sinusitis. If you have allergies, you may be at greater risk for sinus trouble, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
There are many reasons that sinus pain and congestion get worse at night,” says Jordan S. Josephson, MD, an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and the author of Sinus Relief Now. “One is that allergies tend to be worse at night, and two is that when you lie down, your nose becomes more congested. But this doesnt mean you should give up on a good nights sleep. Instead, try these expert-approved tips to help you sleep better despite sinus pain and congestion:
Following these tips will put you on the path to sinus pain and congestion relief and help you get a good night’s sleep.
Have Turmeric Milk Or Tea
Turmeric, the potent yellow spice thats commonly used in Indian food, can help tackle allergies. This is because curcumin, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound present in this spice, can inhibit the release of histamine. Histamine is a chemical released by your body during an allergic reaction and is responsible for causing the signature symptoms of a reaction. Traditionally, turmeric has also been used to remedy stuffy noses and colds.67
Steep turmeric powder in hot water to make yourself a cup of turmeric tea. Or add a teaspoon of turmeric powder to a glass of milk and bring it to the boil to prepare turmeric milk. Both these remedies can be had up to half an hour before bedtime. You can also start your day with these remedies. Fortify your immune system by adding the spice to your everyday cooking as well.
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What Causes Coughing At Night
Many of the same things that cause a cough during the day cause a cough at night.
But the position one assumes while sleeping, the stagnancy and quality of bedroom air, and exposure to lint, dust, pollen, and mites from bedding can all make a PM coughing fit common.
No matter whats causing it, there are different remedies and lifestyle measures you can try to relieve or prevent nighttime coughing in both adults and children. Including:
- reclining on pillows
Good news: Usually, coughs do go away on their own! Most coughs will go away on their own within in a few days, says internal medicine specialist Eliana Rose, MD.
But *persistent* severe nighttime coughing can be a sign of a serious condition.
Chronic night-time coughing is a symptom of heart failure, as well respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and COPD.
Lung cancer and blood clots in the lungs are less common causes of severe coughs.
Casusis recommendation: Consult with a physician if your cough lasts longer than three weeks, or you notice the amount of phlegm in your coughing increasing or youre coughing up blood.
You should also get medical help if you have a cough and:
- a fever of 100F or above
- shortness of breath
Tips For A Ticklish Cough
- Use a humidifier. Air thats too dry can irritate your throat and send you into a flurry of coughing. One word of caution: Be careful not to over-dampen the air. Allergens like dust mites and mold can worsen in wet air, and asthma can sometimes be exacerbated by dampness. To make sure the humidity level in your sleeping space is at or near the recommended level of 50 percent, consider using a hygrometer to measure the exact level of moisture in the air.
- Keep your bedding clean.The American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology recommends that you wash your sheets, mattress covers, blankets, and pillowcases in hot water, at 130°F or higher, once a week. If youre allergic to pet dander or pet saliva, it might be best to get your cuddles during the day and keep pets out of your bedroom at night.
- Try an oral antihistamine. Talk to your doctor about whether your cough would respond to an over-the-counter or prescription medicine that blocks your bodys production of histamines or acetylcholine, both of which stimulate coughing.
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Diagnosis Of Morning Allergies
Doctors diagnose allergies based on your symptoms and tests that confirm an allergic reaction. Morning allergies are diagnosed when your symptoms present most prominently in the morning. Diagnosis may include:
- Medical history: Your primary care doctor or an allergist will take your medical history, including whether you have a family history of allergies or asthma. The doctor will also do a physical exam.
- Assessing symptoms: Your doctor will evaluate your symptoms, including what triggers them and when they most often occur.
- Allergy tests: This may include skin tests, blood tests, or both.
Check If You Have Hay Fever
Symptoms of hay fever include:
- sneezing and coughing
- a runny or blocked nose
- itchy, red or watery eyes
- itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
- loss of smell
- pain around your temples and forehead
- headache
If you have asthma, you might also:
- have a tight feeling in your chest
- be short of breath
- wheeze and cough
Hay fever will last for weeks or months, unlike a cold, which usually goes away after 1 to 2 weeks.
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Treating Allergies At Night
If allergies are keeping you awake at night, you’re not alone.
In one study, only 17% of patients with allergies rated their sleep as optimal. About half of all people in the study said allergies and nasal congestion woke them up at night and also made it hard to fall asleep.
Why does it matter?
- Sleep deprivation is a stress that has significant consequences, such as high blood pressure and heart complications, as well as psychological consequences.
- Sleep deprivation affects every part of your life from your relationships to your ability to think and be productive to your income.
How Are Allergies Linked With Sleep Deprivation
So what’s the problem with allergies and how are they linked to sleep deprivation? WebMD asked William E. Berger, MD, MBA, professor of medicine at the University of California, Irvine, to explain more about allergies and the resulting sleep deprivation. Berger is past president of the American College of Allergy and Immunology and author of Allergies and Asthma for Dummies.
“With nasal allergies, there are four things that happen when an allergic reaction occurs,” says Berger. “There’s sneezing, itching, runny nose and mucus formation, and then nasal congestion and swelling of the mucous membranes.”
Berger explains to WebMD that when these four reactions occur with allergies, they can cause a host of other breathing problems that result in sleep deprivation.
As an example, as soon as you crawl in bed prepared to get a good night’s sleep, you realize that you can’t breathe through your nose. So, you position yourself differently on the pillows and just as you get comfortable and find a good breathing position, postnasal drip starts to collect in the back of your throat, causing you to cough — and cough. The more you cough and try to breathe through your congested nose, the more miserable you feel.
Thus, all night long, you toss and turn and cough and snore instead of sleeping. The next day, you awaken feeling exhausted and irritable because your allergies have wreaked havoc with normal sleep.
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Prioritizing Sleep When You Have Symptoms
Nixing allergy triggers isnt always easy, but making the effort is worth it.
When allergies affect the amount of sleep you receive and the quality of your sleep, May says, they can end up having an impact on your quality of life and causing more severe health concerns. Getting a good nights sleep helps to strengthen your immune system, which helps fight infection and allergy symptoms.
Creating an allergy-specific bedtime routine is also one way to find relief in discomfort. For example, instead of jumping straight into bed, wind down with diffusers and essential oils, which can aid with nasal congestion and relaxation.
Try box breathing exercises to get air flowing through your lungs and keep your phone hidden so you can focus on sleep, rather than hoping a last-minute web search will save the night. Because the best solution for allergies during sleep may just let your immune system work overnight.
All prices were accurate at the time of publication.
Do Natural Allergy Cures Really Work
For some people, yes. Weve seen huge reductions in allergy symptoms for some when they embrace making these sort of changes and just run with it, says Dr. Young. There have been really nice results.
But treat the above recommendations as more of a potential starting point for dealing with allergies, not the be-all and end-all for treatment. Theyre also not a substitute for medical care during a severe reaction.
There are people who benefit from medications. Thats why theyre available, says Dr. Young.
But if youre looking for an alternative to day-to-day allergy maintenance, its important to know there might be simple solutions aside from medications. These approaches can help, Dr. Young assures. Its just a matter of giving them a try.
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Takeaways For Allergies At Night
Often, simple steps can reduce nighttime allergy symptoms. Most importantly, pay attention to your body. Your PartnerMD physician may recommend that you keep a daily health journal, which can help pinpoint what is causing your allergy symptoms to be worse at night.
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What Triggers Your Allergy Symptoms
If you have respiratory allergies, you may experience a collection of symptoms that all start with your nose perhaps you take a breath and a substance like pollen or dust lands on the lining of your nose. These substances, called allergens, may cause a release of chemicals that produce symptoms as your body attempts to protect you from what it perceives as a threat. This is an immune response. Allergens include pollen, dander, mold or dust mite droppings all pollutants you may find in your home and bedroom.
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Allergies At Night: Why Do I Sneeze More At Bedtime
If you suffer from certain allergies, you may notice that your symptoms worsen at bedtime, which can leave you tossing and turning all night.
Restful sleep is key to overall health and wellness. Stop the effects of sleep deprivation and make sure you get a good nights rest with these nighttime allergy management tools.
Allergy triggers and symptoms are unique to each individual. Allergies can depend on your body, your environment and even your geographic location. A variety of factors can cause allergy symptoms to worsen in the evenings for many people.
During the day, pollens are pushed up into the air by warmer temperatures, but are actually at their peak at night, when they fall back down due to cooler air. If you suffer from seasonal pollen allergies, this could be why you sneeze more at night.
Additionally, allergens like pollen stick to your clothes, skin and hair during the day. This can lead to a buildup of these allergens in your home, causing your symptoms to be worse in the evenings.
Your symptoms may also be worse at night if you are susceptible to environmental allergens like dust, dust mites or pet dander. One of the places where dust and pet dander build up is in your mattress. Thats why you notice your allergy symptoms worsening right at bedtime.
Do’s And Don’ts To Combat Allergy
- 28 Jun, 2018
If you suffer from nasal allergies, then this condition could be interfering with your sleep. According to recent research, a correlation between insomnia or sleep disorders and allergic rhinitis exists. Whether you have indoor or outdoor allergies, your quality of sleep may be affected. Fortunately, there are ways to help you sleep better. This guide lists a few ways you can improve your allergies and your allergy-related insomnia.1. DO Be Aware of Daily Pollen Counts If you have hay fever or seasonal allergies, then keep an eye on the pollen count daily. You should plan outdoor activities when the count is low. In addition, when the pollen count is low, you should open the windows in your home to air out your environment. Uncirculated air may make it harder to breathe, especially when you’re trying to sleep. Conversely, when the pollen count is moderate or high, keep windows closed and use your air conditioning, especially when you sleep.
2. DON’T Smoke or Use Wood-Burning Appliances
Cigarette smoke will circulate pollutants through the air. These irritants may interfere with your sleep, as they tend to block airways and cause other reactions. If you have allergies that are interfering with your sleep, then dont smoke or allow anyone else to smoke in the home.
3. DO Flush Your Sinuses Before Bedtime
4. DON’T Become Dehydrated
Avoid drinking fluids just before bedtime, as this may warrant a few bathroom trips, interfering with your sleep.
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Wash Your Clothes Immediately
If youve spent any time outside during high pollen count dates youll benefit from a quick change of clothes when you get home instead of continuing to lounge around in them.
Rather than wait until laundry day, throw them into the washer and immediately wash your clothes. Even when you cant see the pollen or allergens they linger on your clothes and contribute to inflammation and upper respiratory allergies.
Keep Your Sleeping Environment Allergen Free
You need your sleep, so, the room you sleep in needs to be cleaned often to remove pollen, dust mites, and other allergens. Vacuuming under the bed helps in this effort by removing allergens living underneath it. A home-remedy that helps keep your bedroom allergen free is to wipe down hard flooring, molding and the walls near your bed with white vinegar. Mold is an allergen that enjoys living on dark walls and floors. Dehumidifiers can help keep relative humidity at the recommended levels of 30-50% and air conditioning to maintain temperatures at 70 degrees F or below will retard dust mite and mold growth. Hardwood flooring is best.
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Common Nighttime Allergy Symptoms
How do you know if youre having a bedtime allergic reaction? You might just think you tend to get stuffy when youre tired.
Allergies can manifest in a variety of different ways, but there are a few common symptoms that crop up for most allergy sufferers. If you recognize any of the following symptoms at bedtime, allergens might be to blame.
Keep Your Stress Levels Low
Constantly sniffling, itching, and sneezing is pretty unpleasant, so its no surprise that allergy sufferers tend toreport higher levels of perceived stress.Verified SourceNational Library of Medicine Worlds largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible.View source
But all that negative energy might actually make your allergies worse.Other research showsVerified SourceAmerican Psychological Association Collaborative organization for psychologists across the country.View sourcethat high levels of chronic stress can negatively impact your immune system, which only serves to exacerbate your seasonal symptoms.
So prioritize keeping the calm in your life. Whether its journaling or even taking a bubble bath before bed, any activity that lets you unwind can help keep stress at bay, possibly playing a role in minimizing your allergy flare-ups.
Research shows that high levels of chronic stress can negatively impact your immune system, which only serves to exacerbate your seasonal symptoms.
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