Are You Really Allergic to Onion?
While many of us "react" to onions with watery eyes, true onion allergy is quite rare.
In today’s fast-paced world, many of us deal with daily fatigue, especially in a busy city like Atlanta. In most cases, we don’t know what causes our fatigue, but it’s often visible during daytime after spending a restless night fighting to get to sleep.
Any number of health conditions can contribute to daytime fatigue. Even seasonal allergies can be a source of fatigue.
Most of our patients that have an allergy, especially Hay Fever/Allergic Rhinitis, tend to know they have them! They spend daytime during peak allergy season feeling the congestion, coughing and sneezing. Most people know how allergies affect their lives during the day, but not many of our patients are aware that allergies can affect the quality of their sleep. As you know from our other articles, the immune system is launched to attack allergens; this frequent “immune response” can disrupt the body in various ways, including sleep.
The best approach is to remove allergens as much as possible from your sleep environment. And as you may know, Atlanta is one of the worst cities for allergies in the country.
Pollen, dust and pet dander are examples of airborne allergens that may be present at night, exacerbating breathing issues and making it more difficult to sleep. Surface allergens, like dust mites on pillow cases, can likewise cause a reaction. The best defense is to vacuum often with a HEPA filtering vacuum cleaner, installing a HEPA filter on your air conditioning or heating system, or possibly having an air purifier installed in your bedroom or home to minimize airborne allergens.
Keep your bed covered during the day to minimize allergens landing on the surface of your pillows and sheets. Use a proper pillowcase liner to eliminate dust mites that may live on the surface of your pillow fabric. And consider taking a shower at night before bed to remove any pollen or airborne dust from your hair and skin that can cause a nighttime reaction.
Finally, be sure to stay ahead of the allergy season and take your medication before peak allergy season arrives. Antihistamines and decongestants work well to minimize nighttime allergy symptoms.
The less you’re troubled by nighttime allergic reactions, the better quality your sleep will be. The more sleep you get, the less fatigue you’ll feel.
Follow the steps outlined above and you should expect to have more energy and feel less tired during the day, fairly quickly.
If you can’t seem to manage your nighttime allergy symptoms and are still battling fatigue, call our phone line to schedule an appointment with one of our award-winning Atlanta-based Board Certified Allergists, and we’ll have you feeling better quickly!