If you're struggling to sleep due to hay fever, you're certainly not alone. Google searches for 'hay fever sleep' are up by 733% since mid-April, with sufferers battling symptoms at night.
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If you're doing all you can to tackle itchy, streaming eyes, headaches and uncontrollable sneezing, consider how your bedroom might be able to help alleviate your symptoms.
A few small tweaks to your bedroom's conditions could help you get a refreshing night's sleep. MattressOnline (opens in new tab) says one good trick is to cover your bed with a spare sheet during the day, forming a 'pollen barrier'.
Try throwing a spare sheet over your best bed sheets and ideally cover your pillows up, too. This quick fix will take less than a minute and all you need is a spare bed sheet or two.
'This prevents allergens from sitting on your bedding,' says MattressOnline. 'You can take it off each evening and your duvet should be safe from particles.' If you're finding it hard to get comfortable at all, consider if it's time to buy a new mattress - our best mattress guide will help you pick.
Part of the battle is simply feeling hot and bothered at night - investing in silk pillows and a calming pillow spray will make the world of difference. More on this in our guide to the best sleep aids you can buy online.
Also, it may seem obvious, but remember to wash your bedding once a week on a hot wash to kill pollen particles. Drying your bedding indoors rather than outdoors is preferable, too.
This will stop pollen from the trees from landing on the sheets and sitting in the creases or sticking to them, making your allergies worse.
- See also: How to sleep better - 20 tips on how to reduce stress and improve sleep naturally
Even with your pollen barrier, keep windows in your bedroom shut where possible to prevent pollen particles from making their way into your room. These will attach themselves to furniture and linen such as bedding which could leave you to suffer with allergies when you go to sleep.
Shutting all doors and windows takes no time at all, and will mean your room isn’t full of allergens like dust mites and pollen particles.
While we wait for the pollen count to go down and for our eyes to de-puff, we'll be trying the pollen barrier and hoping for the best.
