Spring is here and while we rejoice in the warming weather, the flowers, the birds and the bees, some of us also cringe a little when we realize that the pollen will be arriving shorty as well. It’s hard to get away from pollen during the blooming season, but there are steps that you can take to assure that it doesn’t affect your sleep.
Tips for Keeping your Sleep Space Pollen Free
- Vacuum the bedroom daily. Pollen gets into the house via open windows and from what is carried in in on clothing, skin and hair. Vacuuming the bedroom with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter will help to minimize any from accumulating.
- Keep dirty laundry out of the bedroom. Take off any clothing that was worn while spending time outdoors in the laundry room instead of in the bedroom. This way the pollen on the clothes doesn’t have a chance to make it near the sleep space.
- Wash sheets at least once a week. This will insure that any pollen that makes it into the bed will not be there for long. In addition, it’s less time that the pollen particles will be lurking there to make it below the sheets and into the mattress.
- Take a bath or a shower before going to bed. Having a clean body and hair and putting on fresh pajamas will keep the bed free from any pollen that would have otherwise gotten there had it not been washed it off.
- Get a quality air purifier that has a HEPA filter. A HEPA filter traps pollen, as well as pet dander and hair, dust and other harmful particles. Having one in the bedroom running all day and night will keep the air clean, making it safer to breathe for allergy sufferers.
- Keep pets out of the bedroom. If you have a pet that spends time outdoors, make sure that it stays out of the bedroom. Any outdoor pet will carry in dirt, dust and pollen, that should be kept out of the room and, especially, away from the bed.
- Skip the alcohol. According to the NY Times, “Beer, wine and liquor contain histamine, produced by yeast and bacteria during the fermentation process. Histamine, of course, is the chemical that sets off allergy symptoms. Wine and beer also contain sulfites, another group of compounds known to provoke asthma and other allergy-like symptoms.”
- Pay Heed to the Age of Your Mattress. Here, at My Green Mattress, we are very familiar with helping people to replace their mattresses for better ones. Besides for the normal wear and tear, over time mattresses collect body fluids, dust and dead skin, which doesn’t make for a sound sleep environment for anyone!
