As summer nears, many people begin sleeping with their windows open for ventilation. However, people with asthma, COPD and other lung conditions are advised to avoid this at all costs.
Experts at Asthma + Lung UK noted: “Pollen could affect your sleep if you have a lung condition like asthma or COPD. Pollen can come in through your windows, so try to keep the windows and doors where you sleep shut as much as possible during pollen season.”
In the UK there are around 7.2m people with asthma. This means it affects about eight in 10 of the population.
Nearly half of asthmatics and 27% of people with COPD are triggered by pollen. The experts warned: “Pollen can be dangerous for people with asthma or COPD because these conditions already mean people’s airways are narrower and inflamed.
“If they are also allergic to pollen and breathe it in, this can cause the muscles around their airways to tighten further, and the lining of the airways to become swollen and inflamed with a build-up of sticky mucus, leaving them struggling to breathe.”
Adding onto this, asthma symptoms can sometimes get worse at night and in the early morning due to other factors like changes in hormones and sleeping positions.”
To keep your home ventilated with the windows shut, the experts recommended using extractor fans wherever possible. And keeping them clean to improve efficiency.
Drying laundry outside can also help avoid humid, musty air building up inside. De-humidifiers might seem like the ideal solution too but this can also make the air too dry which can exacerbate other symptoms.
Typically, pollen levels peak around mid-May and begin to start dropping throughout the summer. But, even though the levels are starting to get lower, the risk of pollen entering your home and triggering your symptoms at night is still high. When the air cools, pollen sinks onto ground level.
Grass pollen, the most common hay fever trigger, is usually at its highest between May and July according to the charity. There’s some evidence to suggest high grass pollen levels are linked to higher numbers of people needing hospital treatment for asthma and COPD.
Different plants, like weeds, continue to release pollen throughout the summer until September so it may be best to keep your bedroom windows closed until then. You can use weather apps to check the pollen levels in your area throughout the season to help you prepare for days when it may be worse.
The charity advised if you have asthma and are affected by high pollen levels, use your preventer inhaler daily to build up protection. Also keep your reliever inhalers on hand to ease symptoms if they do arise.
Non-drowsy antihistamine tablets can also keep allergic reactions at bay. The experts suggested pairing this with a steroid nasal spray and being up-to-date on pollen forecasts whenever possible.
