Written by
Danielle Pacheco, Staff Writer
Medically Reviewed by
Kimberly Truong, Sleep Physician
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Are you waking up with a stuffy nose or sneezing in your sleep? Whether they’re seasonal or year-round, allergies aren’t fun.
Up to 40 percent of Americans suffer from allergic rhinitis (allergies). Symptoms include sneezing, itchy or runny nose, and watery eyes — and for many allergy sufferers, poor sleep as well. Individuals with allergies are more than twice as likely to have insomnia than those without allergies.
Allergens irritate your nasal passages when they enter your nose, triggering uncomfortable symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing, and watery eyes. These symptoms affect your ability to breathe easily and tend to worsen at night — two reasons why allergies commonly lead to poor sleep quality.
If your allergies keep you up at night, you may be missing out on sleep. Without a good night’s sleep, you end up feeling tired and grumpy the next day. Being tired can impair your performance at school and work, negatively affecting your health and wellbeing. Poor sleep also heightens anxiety and stress response, which in turn, makes it harder to fall asleep.
Allergies don’t just impact your ability to fall asleep; they also interfere with your ability to stay asleep. People with allergies may wake up due to a congested nose, sneezing or coughing fit in the middle of the night. Over time, this kind of allergy-induced sleep deprivation adds up, creating a vicious cycle that leads some to rely on sedatives or alcohol to help them fall or stay asleep — which is not a good idea.
Allergies can affect all aspects of sleep. Individuals with allergic rhinitis are significantly more likely to suffer from sleep issues, including:
During the day, their problems don’t end. They’re more likely to have trouble waking up, experience daytime fatigue, and have morning headaches and sinus pain.
There also appears to be a correlation between the severity of a person’s allergies and the severity of their sleep problems. In other words, the worse their allergy symptoms are, the worse their sleep is.
For some people with allergies, difficulty sleeping may develop into more serious sleep disturbances, such as bedwetting, insomnia, restless sleep, snoring, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and other forms of sleep-disordered breathing. The connection between allergies causing or worsening sleep apnea is of particular concern because we know that OSA can lead to difficulty losing weight, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and death.
Pediatric studies suggest that allergies increases the risk for obstructive sleep apnea among children . Children with sleep-disordered breathing are more than twice as likely to have allergic rhinitis than those who don’t have sleep apnea. Poor sleep can be especially damaging to children, leading to missed school days, behavioral problems, difficulty with memory, concentration and worsened IQ.
Sleeping with allergies can be tough, but it is possible. Here are seven tips to cope with allergies and get better sleep.
Air purifiers can help improve sleep for people with and without allergies. They help clear your bedroom air of common household allergens like mold, dust mites, pet dander, and even pollen brought in from outside.
If you leave your windows open during the day, you’re inviting allergens into your home. Closed windows and doors, on the other hand, can do a lot to keep allergens outside and away from your bedroom.
Most people are surprised by the amount of debris and dust collected in nooks and crannies in the room. Avoid heavy drapes and upholstered furniture in the bedroom. Avoid floor-to-floor carpet, if possible. Use tightly-woven fabric for your sheets and pillowcase to prevent trapping of dust. Avoid “dust collectors”, such as stuffed animals, fake flowers, and old books in the bedroom.
Pet hair and dander are two common allergens that impact sleep, so sleeping in a separate room from your pet may help relieve your allergies at night. Give them a comfy bed outside your bedroom and pet them goodnight. Just make sure to wash your hands afterward!
After spending time outside, especially during high pollen count days, take your clothes off when you come inside the house and put them directly in the laundry room. Never hang your clothes outside to dry. Use a dryer instead, if possible.
Showering before bed helps wash the pollen away. Make showers a part of your bedtime routine, and you’ll always be clean before bed.
If you currently take your allergy medication in the morning, consider changing it to nighttime. Consult your doctor first, though. This ensures the dose of medication is still strong in your system when you go to bed, instead of wearing off in the middle of the night.
Speaking of your doctor, they can discuss some treatment options with you based on the type of allergies you have. There are over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, and lifestyle changes that can provide relief.
Staff Writer
Danielle writes in-depth articles about sleep solutions and holds a psychology degree from the University of British Columbia.
Sleep Physician
PhD
Dr. Truong is a Stanford-trained sleep physician with board certifications in sleep and internal medicine. She is the founder of Earlybird Health.
