Fall Allergies Can Bring On Sleepless Nights

In the fall, allergy sufferers are bombarded with ragweed, mold, dust mites and pollen, but many are also hit with sleeplessness, a common, but little-known side effect of allergies.

In a 2006 study, French researchers found that sleep disorders and sleep-related complaints were much more common among allergy sufferers. Moreover, they found that the severity of participants’ sleeplessness intensified as their allergy symptoms increased.

So how can you keep your daytime allergies from getting the best of you during the night? Here are some tips:

1)    Find out what’s bugging you: Talk to your doctor to determine what types of pollen or mold are increasing your allergy symptoms and learn how to avoid exposure.
2)    Watch the weather: Stay indoors when pollen is high or on rainy, windy days when mold spores are in the air.
3)    Remove irritations: Shower after going outdoors to remove pollen from clothing and skin.
4)    Cover your bedding: dust mite-proof casings will help you control allergens in your bedroom.
5)    Watch your medications: avoid over-the-counter allergy medications that can cause sleeplessness; read all packaging carefully.

Breathe Right® Nasal Strips Review

Snoring usually indicates some sort of blockage, such as swollen tissue in your nasal passages, which leads to suppressed breathing and awful noises coming out of your mouth. In many cases it can interrupt your sleep or your partner’s sleep. Typically your snoring habits can be prevented through a lifestyle change like losing weight or quitting smoking, but if you’re looking for a quick change, try Breathe Right nasal strips.

Breathe Right nasal strips are flexible bands that help open nasal passages so you can breathe through your nose easier and not have to open your mouth for oxygen flow. Breathe Right products are inexpensive, ranging from $5.99-$13.99 at any major drug store, supermarket or pharmacy, and tend to work best for mild snorers, but research is limited.

SBA’s Dr. Drake believes Breathe Right nasal strips are good for improving nasal constriction, but he says their usefulness for sleep disorders has not been established.

According to WebMD nasal strips, such as Breathe Right, widen the nostrils and improve airflow.

If you snore, occasionally have trouble breathing at night or are simply curious about Breathe Right nasal strips, give them a try and let us know how they worked for you.

Night Terrors Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

Dr. Drake defines “Night Terrors” (also called “sleep terrors”) as awakenings from a deep slow-wave sleep. They occur in children most often, but can wake adults too.

Night Terrors typically happen during the first half of the night and start with a loud scream or cry, awakening you from sleep. Many times these night terrors are accompanied by intense fear, heavy breathing and increased heart rate. Someone who suffers from night terrors is difficult to wake-up and often tends to be confused upon waking. They can be disoriented for a few minutes after sitting up in bed and may even bolt out of bed and run. Adults with night terrors can become aggressive. These episodes may last from a few minutes to longer and may include incoherent speech. Most individuals will not remember their night terror reactions.

If you think you or a loved one may suffer from night terrors it is important to seek treatment from a sleep specialist as the episodes can be a safety risk if the individual gets out of bed while in a state of confusion. There are effective treatments for night terrors and it may be worsened by sleep deprivation, so one of the most important aspects is to ensure that the individual sticks to a regular sleep schedule and stay rested.

Lack of Sleep Makes You More Susceptible to Colds

A study recently cited in The Archives of Internal Medicine confirms it: those who get less than seven hours of sleep per night are three times more likely to catch colds than those who sleep eight hours or longer.

The study performed by doctors in the department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University followed 153 participants to assess their sleep habits as well as how long, on average, they slept each night. Participants were then isolated and given nasal drops containing a strain of rhinovirus (the clinical name for the common cold). Researchers monitored the participants for several days, watching for the onset of cold symptoms. Of the 153 participants, 135 became infected, but only a third of them developed a full-blown cold – generally those who slept less than seven hours per night.

Could the results of this study signal an increased susceptibility to other types of illness for those of us who have difficulty sleeping for longer stretches? Researchers say more research is needed, but this study is a good indicator that it’s in our best interest to strive for more – and better – sleep each and every night.