A bad night’s sleep could make your hay fever symptoms worse – expert tips for a better slumber
A BAD night’s sleep can ruin just about everything. It can make you more hungry. It can make it hard to concentrate. And, it turns out, it can make your hayfever worse. Allergens expert Max Wiseberg says that getting a good night’s sleep is one of the best ways to manage hayfever symptoms. A study […]
A BAD night’s sleep can ruin just about everything.
It can make you more hungry. It can make it hard to concentrate. And, it turns out, it can make your hayfever worse.
Allergens expert Max Wiseberg says that getting a good night’s sleep is one of the best ways to manage hayfever symptoms.
A study from the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit, sleeping under five hours a night can make things a lot worse.
It showed that people who sleep for at least seven hours suffered “significantly” milder symptoms that sleep-deprived hayfever sufferers.
“However, when you suffer from hay fever, your sleep often suffers too, with sneezing, itchiness and runny nose keeping you awake,” Max says.
“So it becomes a vicious circle. You get less sleep, which makes your hay fever worse, so you sleep less, and so it goes on. There seems no escape.”
But, he insists, there are things you can do to improve your sleep.
To turn a vicious circle into a virtuous one, it’s all about prevention rather than cure.
Follow a regular bedtime routine
You want to make sure that you’re going to bed at a decent time and that when you get in bed, you feel tired.
So minimise your screen time, try to stick to set bedtimes and ensure that you’re keeping a similar wind-down routine to relax you as much as possible.
If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable in bed, try sleeping in the nude. Scientists swear ditching the PJs helps us to drift into a deeper sleep due to a drop in body temperature.
Wash as soon as you get home
You want to reduce the chance of bringing any pollen into your bedroom so take a shower or bath before bed.
“This will not only wash away pollen collected in your hair during the day, but will also relax you,” says Max.
Keep your bedroom clean
Make sure that you wash your bedding regularly because pollen grains can be airborne into our homes and stick to bedding.
Max says: “Frequent washing, covering the bed with a sheet which is carefully folded and stored away from the bed during the night, before you get into bed, and turning pillows just before you get in, can all help reduce symptoms.
“And make sure you dry bedding indoors, as outdoor drying on a clothesline can mean the wind blows pollen on to them.”
Ditch the booze
You might think that a few cheeky bevies actually help to get you to sleep but you’d be mistaken.
Although you might drift off more quickly, you’ll actually have a much more disturbed night if you’ve been boozing – increasing your likelihood of nightmares again.
Oh, and alcohol can cause night sweats in some people which is less than ideal in the current climate.
Use an allergen barrier
“Apply an organic allergen barrier balm, such as HayMax, around the rim of the nostrils and immediately after washing or showering,” Max suggests.
MORE ON HAY FEVER
“Independent studies have shown that HayMax traps over a third of the pollen before it gets into the body: less pollen, less reaction.”
Hayfever might make it impossible to sleep with the window open and you might feel a bit bunged up but there are things you can do to sleep better.
Just get into a routine – and stick to it.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours