I used to think I was crazy. I would feel fine all day. Go to work. Eat lunch. Run errands. No sneezing. No runny nose. No itchy eyes. Then I would lie down to sleep. Within an hour, my nose would block up. My throat would get scratchy. I would start coughing. I would toss and turn. I could not breathe.

Then morning would come. I would wake up with my eyes swollen. My head would hurt. My nose would be completely stuffed. I would blow my nose over and over. Nothing helped. For years I thought this was normal. I thought why are my allergies worse at night and in the morning. Then I learned the truth. There are real reasons this happens. And there are things you can do about it. Let me tell you what I found out.

Your Body Changes at Night

Your body does things at night that it does not do during the day. This is not something you choose. Your body just works this way.

Histamine Goes Up

Histamine is the stuff that makes you sneeze. It makes your nose run. It makes your eyes water. When you touch something you are allergic to, your body releases histamine. Here is the thing. Your body releases more histamine at night. This happens even if you are not around allergens. It is just your body's natural rhythm. So you are already starting with more histamine in your system. Then you add allergens on top of that. It is a double problem.

Read Also: Anti Inflammatory Foods For Allergies

Cortisol Goes Down

• Cortisol is the opposite of histamine. It stops inflammation. It keeps your symptoms quiet.
• During the day, cortisol levels are high. This protects you. You can be around dust or pollen and not feel as bad.
• At night, cortisol drops. This is normal. It happens to everyone. But if you have allergies, this drop causes problems.
• Less cortisol means more symptoms. Your body cannot fight off the histamine. So you feel everything more strongly.
• This is biology. This is not something you can control with willpower.

Lying Down Changes Everything

• Think about what happens when you stand up.
• Mucus from your nose drips down your throat. You swallow it. You do not notice. It just happens.
• When you lie down, gravity stops helping.

Mucus Pools Up

All that mucus has nowhere to go. It stays in your nose. It fills your sinuses. It sits there all night. By morning, you have a lot of mucus built up. Your nose is completely blocked. You cannot breathe through it. You have to breathe through your mouth. This dries out your throat. This makes you cough. This is why you wake up with a sore throat.

Postnasal Drip Gets Bad

Postnasal drip is when mucus runs down the back of your throat. During the day, this happens too. But you swallow it and forget about it. At night, you are lying down. The mucus drips more. It pools in your throat. You wake up coughing. You wake up with a scratchy feeling. Sometimes you wake up feeling like you are choking. This is scary. This is also postnasal drip.

Sinus Pressure Builds

Your sinuses are hollow spaces in your face. They are around your eyes. They are in your forehead. They are behind your cheeks. When mucus fills these spaces, pressure builds. This causes headaches. This causes face pain. This makes your teeth hurt. You might think you have a cold. You might think you have a sinus infection. But this is just allergies acting up at night.

Your Bedroom Is Not as Clean as You Think

I used to think my bedroom was clean. I vacuumed. I dusted. I changed my sheets. But there were things in my bedroom I could not see. These things were making me sick every night.

Dust Mites Live in Your Bed

• Dust mites are tiny bugs. You cannot see them. They are too small.
• They live in your mattress. They live in your pillows. They live in your blankets.
• They eat dead skin cells. You shed dead skin cells every night while you sleep. So your bed is a buffet for dust mites.
• One mattress can have millions of dust mites. Millions.
• The problem is not the mites themselves. The problem is their droppings. Dust mite droppings cause allergies. They trigger sneezing. They trigger stuffy noses.
• You breathe these droppings in all night long.

Pet Dander Gets Everywhere

• If you have a dog or cat, you have dander. Dander is tiny pieces of skin that animals shed.
• This dander gets on your furniture. It gets on your clothes. It gets on your bed.
• You might be allergic to dander. Many people are. The proteins in dander make your body react.
• If your pet sleeps on your bed, you are breathing in dander for hours. This is going to cause symptoms.
• Even if your pet does not sleep on your bed, dander still gets in. It floats in the air. It settles on your pillow.

Pollen Comes Inside

Pollen is not just an outside problem. Pollen comes in through open windows. It sticks to your shoes. It sticks to your clothes. It gets in your hair. You bring pollen inside every time you come home. Then you get into bed. You put your head on your pillow. You breathe in that pollen. Some plants release more pollen at night. Ragweed does this. Grass pollen goes up at sunrise. So you are getting pollen from outside and pollen you brought inside.

Mold Grows in Damp Places

Mold needs moisture to grow. It grows in bathrooms. It grows in basements. It grows around windows that leak. Mold releases spores into the air. These spores float around. You breathe them in. If you have mold in your bedroom, you are breathing in spores all night. This can cause allergies. This can make you feel terrible.

Morning Symptoms Are the Worst

By the time morning comes, you have been dealing with allergens for hours.

Your histamine is high. Your cortisol is low. Your sinuses are full. Your throat is dry.

This is why you wake up feeling terrible.

What Morning Feels Like

You might wake up with:

• A nose that is completely blocked
• A runny nose that will not stop
• Sneezing fits
• Eyes that are red and itchy
• Eyes that water
• A cough that will not quit
• A sore throat
• A headache
• Pressure in your face
• Feeling tired even after sleeping

All of these can happen at once.

Why You Feel Better Later

• Once you get up, things change.
• You stand up. Gravity starts working again. Mucus starts draining. You blow your nose. You clear your throat.
• Your cortisol levels start to go up. Your body starts fighting inflammation again.
• After an hour or two, you start to feel better. You think the problem is gone. But it is not. It will come back tonight.

What You Can Do About It?

I tried a lot of things before I found what works. Some things helped a little. Some things helped a lot.

Here is what actually works.

Wash Your Sheets Every Week

• This is the most important thing you can do.
• Wash your sheets in hot water. The water needs to be really hot. Cold water will not kill dust mites.
• Dry your sheets in a hot dryer. Heat kills dust mites.
• Wash your pillowcases too. Wash your blankets. Wash everything.
• Do this every week. Do not skip weeks. Be consistent.

Put Covers on Your Mattress and Pillows

• You can buy special covers for your mattress and pillows. These covers are made of tight fabric.
• Dust mites cannot get through this fabric. They cannot live in your mattress. They cannot come out.
• These covers are not expensive. You can find them at most stores.
• Put a cover on your mattress. Put covers on your pillows. Put a cover on your box spring if you have one.

Keep Your Bedroom Clean

• Dust your furniture. Use a damp cloth. A dry cloth just pushes dust around. A damp cloth picks it up.
• Vacuum your floors. If you have carpet, vacuum often. Use a vacuum with a good filter.
• If you can, remove carpet from your bedroom. Hard floors are much easier to keep clean. Dust mites cannot live in hard floors.

• Keep Windows Closed

• I know fresh air is nice. But fresh air brings pollen.
• Keep your windows closed at night. Keep them closed during allergy season.
• Use air conditioning instead. This keeps pollen out. It also keeps the air dry.

Shower Before Bed

• Take a shower at night. Wash your hair. Wash your skin.
• During the day, pollen and allergens stick to you. They get in your hair. They get on your skin.
• If you do not wash them off, you bring them to bed. You put your head on your pillow. You breathe them in.
• A shower washes all of this away. You get into bed clean.

Keep Pets Out of Your Bedroom

This is hard. I know. I love my pets too.

• But pets bring allergens into your bed. They have dander. They have pollen on their fur.
• Keep your bedroom door closed. Do not let your pet on your bed.
• If you cannot do this, wash your pet often. This can help reduce dander.

Rinse Your Sinuses

• You can use a neti pot. You can use saline spray.
• A neti pot rinses out your nose with salt water. It washes out mucus. It washes out allergens.
• Do this before bed. It clears your sinuses. It helps you breathe better.
• Saline spray works too. Spray it in your nose. It moisturizes your nasal passages. It thins out mucus.

Elevate Your Head

• Use an extra pillow. Raise your head a little higher.
• This helps gravity work. Mucus can drain from your sinuses. It does not pool up.
• You do not need to sit up. Just add one pillow.

Control Humidity

• Dust mites love humidity. They need moisture to live.
• Keep your home dry. Use a dehumidifier. Use an air conditioner.
• Keep humidity below 50 percent.
• Do not use a humidifier in your bedroom. This makes dust mites multiply.

Get an Air Purifier

• Buy an air purifier for your bedroom. Look for one with a HEPA filter.
• This machine pulls air in. It traps dust. It traps pollen. It traps dander. It blows out clean air.
• Run it while you sleep. It cleans the air all night.

Read: Why Do Allergies Get Worse At Night

When to See a Doctor?

Sometimes the things I listed do not work. Some people have more severe allergies.

If you still have problems, see a doctor.

Get Tested

• An allergist can test you. They can find out exactly what you are allergic to.
• This helps you know what to avoid. This helps you know what is causing your symptoms.

Get Prescriptions

Over-the-counter medicines help some people. But some people need stronger medicines.

Your doctor can prescribe:

• Stronger antihistamines

• Nasal sprays

• Eye drops

These work better than store-bought medicines.

Consider Allergy Shots

• Allergy shots are a long-term treatment.
• You get shots over several months. The amount of allergen is very small at first. It gets bigger slowly.
• Over time, your body stops reacting. Your symptoms go away or get much better.
• This is not for everyone. But it works for many people.

Start with These Things First

You do not have to do everything at once. That is too much.

Start with these three things:

• Wash your sheets in hot water. Do it today.
• Get covers for your mattress and pillows. Order them tonight.
• Shower before bed. Start tonight.

Do these three things. See if you feel better.

If you still have problems, try the other things. One step at a time.

A Final Word

I have been where you are. I know how it feels to wake up miserable every day. I know how it feels to not sleep well. I know how it feels to be tired all the time. It does not have to be this way. Your allergies get worse at night because of things you can control. Your body makes more histamine. You lie down. Your bedroom has dust mites.

But you can fix these things. Wash your bedding. Get covers. Shower before bed. Close your windows. Keep your bedroom clean. These steps work. They helped me. They can help you too. Start tonight. Wash your sheets. Take a shower. See what happens.