Sleep expert gives tips on how to stop hay fever from keeping you awake

If you or your family are affected by allergies, there are a few things you can do to prevent your allergies from affecting your sleep quality.

The sleep experts at SleepSeeker comment:

“As we enter allergy season it is a good idea to take stock of how long we have owned our bedding for as the older your bedding, the more skin cells, dust, sweat and oils get trapped inside of them.

“This is why it’s so important to clean your bedding regularly; many people change their bed linen every two weeks or so however if you’re struggling with allergy symptoms, try and wash your bedding every week to reduce particles and mites from building up.

“As well as keeping your bedding clean, try and wash your duvet every four months and your pillows every two months to keep on top of the allergies, and line both your pillows and mattress with an anti-allergy topper which can reduce the volume of dust mite build up.

“Finally, although we all love our furry friends, try and keep pets out of the bedroom where possible in order to avoid your pets’ hair aggravating your allergy, and preventing you from having a restful night’s sleep!“

Here are the top 10 ways to ensure that your sleep is not disturbed by the terrible symptoms seasonal allergies can bring:

1. Purifying the air. Using an air purifier in your bedroom during the day will ensure your room is clean for night time, this will also get rid of any nasty pollen, mites and viruses from your home, which is a great way to keep your home free of a whole range of nasties.

2. Close doors and windows. This can help with keeping allergens out of your home, instead of allowing air from the outside into your bedroom, this effectively will stop outside pollen and pollutants from being invited into your home.

3. Cleaning out your sinuses. Rinsing your sinus is a good way of clearing out any pollen or dust that has got trapped inside your nose. Trapped dirt or pollen can cause irritation and headaches, and so cleaning the area regularly can help remove excess mucus and clear out any allergy-causing particles.

4. Sleeping in an upright position. Propping some pillows underneath your head will keep you in an upright position, to allow drainage from any congestion that may occur during sleep, in order to keep you happily in the land of nod.

5. Clean your bedroom. To stop allergy particles from sticking in your bedroom floor you should clean your carpet often, or even replace carpet with wooden flooring. Cleaning of any soft furnishings and dusting of sides will keep dust and pollen particles down.

6. Change where you dry your washing. Instead of hanging washing out to dry in the warmer months, it is best to dry them in a dryer if possible. This will stop pollen from attaching to your clothes outside whilst drying and help keep that pollen away from your skin.

7. Keep pets out of your bedroom. As much as we love our pets, it's best to keep them out of your bedroom, as they can often be carrying pollen and dust mites into your bedroom which will increase irritation at night.

8. Take allergy medication at night. Always consult your doctor before changing your routine, but taking allergy medication at night could help in ensuring a good night's sleep, as this will help your body combat the response to the pollen.

9. Anti allergy bedding. SleepSeeker’s anti allergy range is a great way to ensure a great night's sleep, especially during allergy season. Using anti dust mite, antibacterial products can aid a great night's sleep for anyone suffering with symptoms of allergies. All Slumberdown Anti Allergy products on the SleepSeeker site also come with Allergy UK's Seal of approval, which is only awarded to products that have been tested and approved to very high standards by leading allergy specialists.

10. Shower before bed. A pre-sleep wash will enable you to wash off all of the pollen from your body and hair that has accumulated over the day, allowing you to enter a good night’s sleep without disturbance.