Allergies and Your Health Part 1. Allergies and Sleep

Sniffles, sneezes, achoo! Allergy season can be tough on your health. Besides living in a bubble during the pollination season, there are a few other reasonable tips to manage your allergies and stay healthy. One major part of allergy season is getting a good night’s sleep. When you don’t get enough solid sleep, your body is unable to fight infections well. Prepare yourself for slumber with the following tips.

1. Shower right before bed. You want to be in bed without pollen on your body or your clothes.
2. Try an over the counter allergy pill, after consulting with your doctor. There are a lot of readily available antihistamines to choose from. If you take 24-hour allergy medication, you can be protected in the off-hours. Pollen counts tend to be highest at 5am-10am. So if you have an allergy medication in your system while getting your zzz’s you may feel better when you wake up.
3. Consider investing in an air purifier for your bedroom. If you get a purifier with a true HEPA filter, it can remove microscopic allergens as small as 0.3 microns in size which includes pollen, spores, dander, and dust.
4. Your 4 legged friends carry a lot around with them. Often times your pet is carrying pollen, dander and many other things that make you sneeze. Wiping down favorite furry pal at bedtime is beneficial. It will keep your house cleaner and can minimize the pollen Fido is carrying.
5. Envision your head as it hits the pillow. Is your hair freshly washed, to rid of all the environmental allergens and pollen? Is your pillowcase an encased, zippered pillowcase that protects you from dust mites? Have you washed your sheets recently? Keep it clean, especially during your allergy season. Your mattress can also be wrapped in a mattress protector as an additional layer of defense.
6. Some of these tips may sound tedious, but a huge part of a healthy lifestyle is getting enough sleep. During allergy season, it is easy to feel ill and not well rested. While you sleep, your body repairs itself, so do these steps for a healthier you. You will wake up more restful and be ready to tackle the next day!