Medically reviewed by
Michael A. Lapuente, DO
t’s the same thing almost every single night. You brush your teeth, finish your nightly routine, climb into bed, and suddenly your allergies kick into high gear. The congestion, sneezing, and discomfort seem worse than they were all day – and you’re not imagining it.
Why are allergies worse at night?
Allergy symptoms often worsen at night due to several factors:
- Bedroom allergens: Dust mites, pet dander, and mold spores are common in bedrooms and adjoining bathrooms.
- Pollen transfer: Pollen from daytime exposure can transfer to bedding from skin and hair.
- Body position: Lying down increases congestion and mucus pooling in sinuses.
- Circadian factors: The body produces more histamine at night, intensifying symptoms.
- Allergen accumulation: Bedding collects allergens over time, increasing exposure during sleep.
- Pollen cycles: Morning pollen peaks can lead to delayed symptom onset in the evening or night.
Key Research Findings About Nighttime Allergies
Research shows that nighttime allergies significantly impact sleep quality:
- 74% of allergy sufferers wake up during the night due to symptoms
- Over 90% of allergy sufferers have difficulty sleeping
- Nighttime allergy symptoms can be 2-3 times more intense than daytime symptms
Jump Ahead
Sudden Allergic Reactions at Night
Many people experience sudden allergic reactions or allergy attacks at night. These unexpected reactions can be triggered by:
- Accumulated allergens in bedding
- Changes in body position affecting breathing
- Natural increase in histamine levels during nighttime hours
- Hidden bedroom allergens like dust mites or mold
- Transfer of daytime allergens to sleep environment
Why Allergies Get Worse at Night
Six key factors contribute to increased nighttime allergy symptoms:
Bedroom Allergen Accumulation
- Dust mites thrive in bedding and mattresses
- Pet dander collects in carpet and furniture
- Mold spores concentrate in adjoining bathrooms
Natural Body Cycles
- Higher histamine production at night
- Lying down increases congestion
- Inflammatory responses peak during sleep cycles
Environmental Transfers
- Pollen from hair and clothing transfers to bedding
- Daytime allergens accumulate in bedroom
- Air quality changes affect symptom intensity
Sleep Position Effects
- Horizontal position increases nasal congestion
- Gravity affects mucus drainage
- Pressure changes in sinuses while lying down
Circadian Rhythm Impact
- Natural immune system fluctuations
- Hormone level changes throughout night
- Altered respiratory patterns during sleep
Indoor Air Quality Changes
- Reduced ventilation at night
- Temperature and humidity fluctuations
- Concentrated indoor allergens
How Nighttime Allergies Affect Your Body
Allergies can make you tired and significantly impact your sleep quality. Common nighttime allergy symptoms include:
Common Nighttime Allergens That Disrupt Sleep
Rashes, food allergies, or an upset stomach triggered by allergies can cause sleep problems, but the most common pair of sleep-destroyers are nasal allergies and asthma.
The allergens most often responsible for sleep disruption are typically:
- Dust mites
- Pet dander
- Pollen allergies
- Mold
- Cockroaches
Dust Mites
Both asthma and allergy sufferers could have a dust mite allergy. Dust mites prefer carpeting, some furniture, and bedding to live in. Nearly microscopic dust mites may live on your pillow, box spring, and mattress.
Dust mites may cause symptoms like:
- Itchiness
- A feeling of being unable to breathe
- Chest tightness
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Eye itchiness and redness
- Nose stuffiness and sneezing
Nighttime Allergy Tips for Dust Mites
- If you have a dust mite allergy, use extra-hot water to wash your sheets and other bedding—at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit—to remove any lingering mites.
- Make sure you change and clean your bedding every week to keep dust mites away.
- Get plastic or fabric covers for your pillows, box spring, and mattresses so dust mites can’t get into your bed.
Pet Dander & Sleeping with Pets
Those who are allergic to pet dander can have instant reactions or longer-term symptoms.
Dander can travel and land on household and bedroom surfaces, so an animal doesn’t have to be present for a pet dander allergic reaction to take place. Even if you don’t own a pet yourself, you can bring the dander home with you after vising someone who does.
Common symptoms of pet allergies include:
- Hives and/or skin rash
- Wheezing and coughing
- Inability to breathe
- Tightness in the chest
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Sneezing
- Inflamed, irritated eyes
- Wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing
Nighttime Allergy Tips for Pet Dander
- After you’re done spending time with your pet, change clothes and wash the ones you wore while spending time with your animal.
- Don’t bring clothes into your bedroom unless they’re clean.
- Don’t let pets sleep with you.
Pollen
As one of the most common triggers, pollen allergies affect millions of people in the United States.
When you go outside, pollen particles settle on your skin, hair, clothes, and shoes. If you don’t take a shower and change your clothes, then you can end up with pollen in your bed.
Sleeping with an open window can also allow pollen to get in as the sun rises and pollen counts do, too.
This can cause symptoms like:
- Itchy eyes
- Wheezing
- Sneezing
- Itchy throat
- Runny nose
- Nasal congestion
- Watery eyes
- Swelling and redness around the eyes
- Itchy nose, mouth, or ears
- Aggravated asthma symptoms
Nighttime Allergy Tips for Pollen
- If you’ve spent any time outside, change your clothes and take a shower before bed to remove pollen particles.
- Take off your shoes at the front door to avoid tracking pollen into the house.
Mold
While you hope to never have to deal with indoor mildew and mold, it does happen.
Common symptoms of mold allergies include:
- Sneezing
- Runny Nose
- Cough
- Watery eyes
If you’re allergic to mold, then it could trigger your allergies and keep you up at night—especially if your bedroom is close to a bathroom.
Indoor mold should be cleaned as soon as it’s detected. To properly clean mold, mix about one cup of bleach (or detergent) with a gallon of water, then scrub until all surface mold is removed.
Nighttime Allergy Tips for Mold
- If you think indoor mold is worsening your nighttime allergies, make sure you have adequate ventilation in every room of the house—especially kitchens, bathrooms, and basements, where humidity levels can often change.
- Use dehumidifiers in these rooms to keep too much moisture from forming.
- Make sure your home doesn’t have any pipes or roof seals with leaks. If you spot these, get them repaired.
Cockroaches
According to information from the ACAAI, up to 98% of U.S. urban homes could have cockroach allergens, with 63% of all other homes potentially containing the insect allergen.
Those with cockroach allergies may be more susceptible to sinus infections and ear infections. You might also experience wheezing, skin rashes, nasal congestion, and coughing.
Nighttime Allergy Tip for Cockroaches
- If you suspect you have cockroach allergies, call an exterminator. They can tell you if there are any upstairs gaps where cockroaches can get into your bedroom.
How to Stop Allergies at Night
Regardless of which allergen is triggering your nighttime allergies, there are a few additional steps you can take to relieve your symptoms and get a better night’s sleep.
Bedroom Environment Optimization
- Use HEPA air purifiers
- Maintain ideal humidity (30-50%)
- Keep temperature below 70°F
Bedding Management
- Use allergen-proof covers
- Wash bedding weekly in hot water
- Replace pillows regularly
Personal Habits
- Shower before bed
- Change clothes after outdoor activities
- Keep pets out of bedroom
Allergies and Sleep Apnea
When you have to wrestle with your allergies each night at bedtime, you may fitfully toss and turn and then wake up exhausted. It feels like you slept for maybe an hour or two. As you drag on with your day, bleary-eyed and dead tired, it’s easy to assume you’re so exhausted because your stuffy nose, eye itchiness, and coughing kept you awake.
While that could be true, you could also be dealing with sleep apnea without even knowing it. In fact, some people develop allergies and sleep apnea simultaneously, as ongoing allergic reactions can contribute to sleep-disordered breathing.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a form of sleep apnea associated with allergies. The nasal symptoms of your allergies make you snore when you might regularly don’t. The sound of your snoring, while very distracting to a partner, can even bother you, causing you to wake up again and again throughout the night.
The upper airway is obstructed with this sleep apnea, either somewhat or all the way. Since your airway cannot open, the lungs don’t get as much air unless your chest muscles and diaphragm strain.
You can have obstructive sleep apnea and not even know it because you’re barely aware of what’s causing you to keep waking all night. Here are the other symptoms:
- Constant exhaustion that makes it hard to get out of bed
- A choking or gasping feeling that wakes you up, even several times a night
- Snoring
- Feelings of restlessness
- Night sweating
- Mood changes, depression, feeling forgetful, and difficulty with concentrating on tasks
- Morning headaches
- Sore throat and/or dry mouth in the morning
By seeing your provider, you can begin getting your case of obstructive sleep apnea under control.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nighttime Allergies
How can I calm my allergies down at night?
To quickly calm nighttime allergies, use a combination of immediate solutions: take an antihistamine before bed, use a HEPA air purifier in your bedroom, keep your head elevated while sleeping, and ensure your bedding is clean and allergen-free. A quick shower before bed can also help remove accumulated allergens from your body and hair.
What is triggering my allergies at night?
Common nighttime allergy triggers include dust mites in bedding, pet dander, mold spores (especially in bathrooms), pollen transferred from daytime activities, and changes in your body's natural hormone cycles. Track your symptoms and environment to identify your specific triggers.
Why does histamine release at night?
Your body naturally releases more histamine at night as part of its circadian rhythm. This increased histamine production, combined with lying down (which can worsen congestion), often leads to more intense allergy symptoms during nighttime hours.
What is the best position to sleep in with allergies?
Sleep with your head elevated at a 30-45 degree angle using extra pillows or by raising the head of your bed. This position helps prevent mucus from pooling in your sinuses and reduces postnasal drip, making breathing easier during sleep.
Can allergies make you tired?
Yes, allergies can cause fatigue in several ways: they disrupt sleep quality, trigger inflammation that drains energy, and some allergy medications can have sedating effects. Chronic nighttime allergy symptoms often lead to daytime exhaustion.
Why is my nose so itchy at night?
Nighttime nasal itchiness often occurs due to increased exposure to bedroom allergens like dust mites, combined with your body's natural increase in histamine production at night. Dry air from heating or air conditioning can also contribute to nasal irritation.
What causes sudden allergic reactions at night?
Sudden nighttime allergic reactions can be triggered by:
- Recent changes in bedding or laundry products
- New pets or pet access to bedroom
- Seasonal pollen brought in on clothing or hair
- Hidden mold growth in bathrooms or walls
- Accumulation of multiple allergens reaching a trigger threshold
When to See a Specialist for Nighttime Allergies
While the steps above can be helpful, sometimes they aren’t enough to fully relieve your symptoms.
If you answer “yes” to one or more of the questions below, you may want to consider seeing an allergist.
- Do your allergy symptoms significantly impact your sleep quality?
- Are your allergies causing chronic sinus infections or breathing difficulties?
- Do over-the-counter medications no longer provide relief?
- Are your nighttime allergies affecting your daytime activities?
- Do you frequently experience chest tightness or shortness of breath?
An allergist can work with you to evaluate the sources of your allergies and create a treatment plan to help prevent, manage, and control your symptoms.
Ultimately, the goal of allergy treatment will be to allow you to live as normal and symptom-free a life as possible.
Get Relief from Nighttime Allergies
Don’t let nighttime allergies continue disrupting your sleep. Our board-certified allergists at Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center can help identify your specific triggers and develop a customized treatment plan. With 15 convenient locations around Charlotte, relief is closer than you think. Call 704-372-7900 to schedule your consultation today.
