6 expert sleep tips for allergy sufferers

For the one-quarter of American adults who have been diagnosed with seasonal allergies, spring and early summer can be miserable. Between April and June, tree and grass pollen levels in many parts of the country are high. And climate change is only making allergy season longer and more intense. In some areas, seasonal allergies last all year.

Many allergy sufferers feel exhausted during the day, in large part because of nasal congestion that disrupts their sleep, said Dr. Timothy Craig, a professor of allergy and immunology at Pennsylvania State University. When you breathe, pollen can get trapped inside your nose and cause inflammation that results in congestion. That stuffiness can cause brief interruptions in sleep throughout the night, Craig said.

Congestion can encourage you to breathe through your mouth — instead of your nose — which is a less efficient way to deliver oxygen to the lungs, said Dr. Peter Hwang, an ear, nose and throat doctor and a professor of head and neck surgery at Stanford University. All of this can seriously compromise your sleep, he said.

Here are some expert tips to help you rest better.

Keep pollen out of your home.

Minimizing how much pollen accumulates indoors, especially in your bedroom, can make a big difference in how well you breathe — and how well you sleep, said Shelby Harris, a psychologist who specializes in sleep medicine in New York City.

Pollen can stick around on clothes, even after you shake them out. And once pollen makes its way into your home, it can linger and trigger symptoms. As soon as you get home, take off your shoes and any other outerwear (like a jacket or hat) and leave them by the door, she said. Change into clean clothes as soon as you can and put your pollinated clothing directly into a washing machine (if you have one) and close the door, she added. Clothes that are sitting in a hamper could release allergens into the air.

It’s also helpful to keep your windows closed as much as possible during allergy season, Harris said, especially if you have severe allergies or when pollen counts are high. (You can find allergy forecasts or local pollen counts at the National Allergy Bureau or on pollen.com.) Standard window screens will not filter out pollen.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recommends vacuuming once or twice a week with a vacuum that has been certified as “asthma and allergy friendly” — meaning it doesn’t release allergens back into the air.

Using a HEPA air purifier can also reduce your exposure by filtering any airborne allergens, Craig said.

Wash bedding often.

Sleep experts generally recommend washing your sheets once a week to remove skin flakes and other substances that can build up in your bedding over time. But during allergy season, when pollen collects on your sheets and pillowcases, Harris encouraged a more aggressive approach. Some people sleep better when they change their sheets, especially their pillowcases, twice a week — or more, she said, acknowledging that’s “easier said than done.”

If you’re still struggling with congestion, coughing or itchy eyes at night, she said, consider washing or switching out your blanket or duvet cover, too.

You may also want to protect your mattress and pillows with special allergen covers that keep pollen and other allergens from getting trapped inside.

If you share your bedroom — and especially your bed — with a pet that goes outside during the day, you’re probably breathing in pollen that’s stuck on their fur, Harris added. If you’re really suffering, you might even consider banishing your pet from the bedroom, at least during the months when your allergies are the worst, she said.

Reduce nasal inflammation.

Rinsing your nasal passages with saline — by using a neti pot or a plastic squeeze bottle — helps clear away pollen that may be lingering in your nose, along with some of the mucus and inflammatory chemicals (like histamine) your body produces in response, Hwang said. Be sure to prepare your saltwater solution correctly by using distilled or sterile water, or tap water that has been boiled for at least one minute and then cooled.

Nasal steroid sprays like Flonase and Nasonex reduce swelling. (Unlike decongestant sprays like Afrin and Sinex, they are not habit-forming.) Steroid sprays can take several weeks of regular, daily use to reach their maximum effect, Craig said, so it’s best to start a few weeks before allergy season. And you should continue using them every day throughout the season. For extra relief, he sometimes recommends pairing a steroid spray with an antihistamine spray (like Astepro), which is also not habit-forming and blocks the histamine receptors in your nose that cause sneezing, itching and watery eyes.

Wearing nasal strips, which widen the nostrils to allow air to flow more easily, can also help people breathe better while sleeping, Hwang said.

Shower before bed.

To remove pollen from your skin and hair, Harris recommended showering every night — including washing your hair — during allergy season to help keep your bed pollen-free. Harris said her dermatologist friends shudder at this advice (showering too often can dry out your skin and hair). But if allergies are really hampering your sleep, she said, it could be helpful.

Elevate your head while sleeping.

Lying down can worsen nasal congestion because it causes blood to back up in the blood vessels of the nasal passages, making the tissue lining swell, Hwang said. Propping yourself up on a wedge pillow or raising the head of your bed a bit can help fluid and mucus drain better, making it easier to breathe, he said.

Try a special breathing technique.

In a 2019 trial of about 60 adults in India with chronic nasal congestion, researchers asked half the participants to practice a yogic breathing exercise called Bhramari pranayama (or bee breath) for 15 minutes twice a day, in addition to using a nasal steroid spray and saline nasal rinses. The other half used only the nasal steroid spray and saline rinses. After three months, the group that did the breathing exercise had less severe symptoms than those who did not.

There are various ways to practice this breathing technique. It generally involves closing your ears with your thumbs, placing your fingers over your eyes and mouth, breathing through your nose and humming slowly on the exhale — like a buzzing bee.

The humming sends vibrations through the skull, which help to break up and clear out mucus, Hwang said. When his patients want a holistic remedy for their congestion, he recommends humming for 15 minutes every day.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.