Are Allergies Impacting Your Sleep?
August 14, 2018
It’s hard enough to carry through each day with allergies, sinus problems, asthma, or COPD. And when you’re constantly being woken up by symptoms throughout the night, the following day can be even harder!
Here are a few common reasons why our patients are having trouble sleeping through the night:
Allergies and Sinus Problems
We grouped these together because sinusitis-sufferers most commonly struggle with allergies, too. And, while sinus pain my keep you up at night, the trouble that sinusitis-sufferers experience during the nighttime are most often associated with their allergy problems.
The problems?
The bedroom is FULL of allergy triggers, like dust built up on the headboard or under the bed. While you’re breathing heavily at night, you’re taking in large amounts of air that have been contaminated.
It should go without saying that allergy-ridden pet owners should keep their dogs and cats out of the bed, but we know that those sweet snuggle sessions are sometimes hard to resist. To the people who cave: it’s not just your dog’s dander that’s wreaking havoc on your sleep.
It’s the dust, dirt, pollen, and grass that they carry in their hair! You don’t want to let them wallow on the same pillow that you’ll be sleeping on.
Asthma
The allergens mentioned above certainly may trigger an asthma attack during an asthma-sufferer’s night of sleep, but there’s also something called nocturnal asthma. Nocturnal asthma consists of all the same symptoms of daytime asthma, but is brought on my sleep.
The exact causes for the attacks are on a case by case basis. For some people, it’s allergens and for others it’s the cooling of their airway or their reclined position. Some academics have even suggested that the hormonal changes we experience as a part of our circadian rhythm can cause attacks.
Either way, it’s important to find permanent, effective treatment for nocturnal asthma, because its effect can be incredibly dangerous.
COPD
About half of the COPD population report that they have trouble getting to sleep and, once they do fall asleep, they report multiple speed disruptions throughout the night. The cause? Oftentimes, it’s because of the narrowed airway’s lack of oxygen.
Even more often, COPD sufferers can’t sleep because of their constant coughing and wheezing.
You may have noticed that we didn’t list the king of sleep disorders, obstructive sleep apnea. That’s because this disorder is actually linked to each of the disorders we described above!
When we diagnose a case of obstructive sleep apnea, it’s important that we discover its source, as it’s often a byproduct of a disorder happening in another part of your airway—just another reason why we hold strong to our one airway, one disease method!
If you think that any of these disorders may be the cause of your sleepless nights, please schedule your personal consultation today!
You’ll be so thankful you did.
