If you suffer from a sniffling nose every time you’re around pollen, then you know allergies don’t rest. Getting a good night’s sleep is extremely important for your health, weight and sanity. But how do you sleep through the night when you’re up sneezing uncontrollably? The answer lies in choosing the right bedding. Even if you close the doors and windows to your room all day, allergens can still transfer to your bedding from your body. This is why investing in hypoallergenic bedding can make such a world of difference.
How Does Hypoallergenic Bedding Work?
Regular bedding contains tiny pocket where allergens can reside in and thrive. However, hypoallergenic bedding is made from material that resists these allergens. This material repels mold, dust and allergenic microbes. Materials like memory foam and synthetic polyester are some of the best known hypoallergens. A combination of the two if often used to make hypoallergenic bedding. Cotton is also a very effective, natural hypoallergen. It is very easy to clean, which makes it difficult for allergens to cling on to it.
What Are Your Allergens And How Did They Get There?
Microbial allergens latch on to you with ease and aren’t easy to shake off. They can stick to your hair, your skin and your clothes and then get transferred to your bedding when you lie down. Dust mites, mold and pollen are the most common allergens that disrupt your sleep. When you’re asleep, dead skin cells shed and accumulate in your bedding. The allergens also make themselves home among your dead skin cells and can remain there for a long time. Knowing how your allergens get transferred to your bedding can help you know which parts of your bedding to replace. You might need to replace all of your regular bedding with hypoallergenic material if your allergies are very severe.
Allergen-Proofing Your Mattress
When it comes to ridding your bedding of allergens, most people don’t think of their mattress. But forgetting your mattress could be why your allergies are persisting despite you switching out your bedding often. Allergens from your pillow and sheets easily transfer onto your mattress. To protect it from becoming infected, cover your mattress with a mattress protector. These protectors are very easy to use, they’re usually thin coverings with an elastic cover. Every two weeks or so, remove the protector and wash it properly to get rid of any allergens that might be on it.
Repel Allergens With Your Pillow
If your pillows are stuffed with down, you might have to replace it. Down breeds allergens by offering them a safe sanctuary to live in. Switch out down for latex or memory foam pillows which do not attract microbes. Latex pillows also have the added advantage of being machine-washable. Throwing them into a wash cycle every few weeks can completely eliminate any microbes from your pillows.
Cover Up With Hypoallergens
Down is an equally bad option for comforters if you suffer from allergies. It might be warm and snugly, but that’s no good if you’re sneezing your sleep away. Instead of down comforters, look for ones made from naturally hypoallergenic material. Silk, cotton and wool naturally repel microbes, protecting you from allergies. Look for comforters with the highest thread count possible. The tighter the weave is, the less space there is for microbes to burrow in.
Are Your Sheets Hypoallergenic?
While wool and silk are hypoallergenic materials, they aren’t the best options to use as sheets. When you have allergies, it’s important that you wash your sheets as frequently as possible. However, wool and silk are difficult to clean regularly and might even get damaged in the process. They are also uncomfortable to sleep on and might feel very hot. Cotton sheets are naturally hypoallergenic and very simple to keep clean. They are also gentle on the skin, so you won’t get rashes from sleeping on it. Again, try to get sheets with a high thread count so dust mites and other allergens can’t get trapped within the little spaces.
