Breathe Better This Spring: How Allergies Affect Your Sleep

By Joshua Levinger, MD
Otolaryngologist (ENT)
Memorial Ear, Nose & Throat Institute

What are spring allergies?

Spring allergies happen when your body reacts to pollen from trees, grass, and flowers. Your nose gets stuffy, you might sneeze a lot, and your eyes may feel itchy. This is often called “hay fever.”

What Is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing for short periods during the night. This happens because your airway gets blocked. People with sleep apnea often snore loudly and feel very tired during the day, even after a full night’s sleep.

How are they connected?

When you have allergies, your nose becomes swollen and stuffed up. This makes it much harder to breathe through your nose at night. When you can’t breathe well through your nose, you are more likely to have trouble breathing while you sleep.

In fact, people with allergies are twice as likely to have sleep apnea. The stuffiness makes your airway narrower, which leads to more snoring and pauses in your breathing.

Why does this matter?

If allergies are making your sleep worse, you might:

• Feel very tired during the day.
• Have trouble focusing at work or school.
• Wake up with a headache.
• Feel grumpy or moody.
• Need to use the bathroom more often at night.

What can you do?

The good news is that treating your allergies can help you sleep better. Here are some simple steps:

• Keep windows closed on days when the pollen count is high.
• Shower before bed to wash pollen off your hair and skin.
• Use a nasal spray (like Flonase or Nasonex) every day. These can take a few weeks to start working, so be patient!
• Use air conditioning with a clean filter.

When to see a doctor

You should talk to a doctor if you snore every night, wake up gasping for air, or still feel exhausted after 8 hours of sleep.

Doctors can often offer a sleep test right in your own home instead of having you stay overnight in a lab. And if over-the-counter medicines don’t help your allergies, simple office procedures and “allergy drops” can also help you breathe clearly again.

Remember, taking care of your allergies helps you get the rest you need!

Dr. Levinger specializes in comprehensive general otolaryngology for all ages. His clinical interests include the management of sleep apnea, and the treatment of nasal and sinus disease with image-guided surgery, in addition to other ear, nose, and throat disorders. Memorial Ear, Nose & Throat Institute can be reached at 575.556.1860.