Night Time Sniffles and Congestion Help

I've spent years of field research and development in the field of indoor environmental remediation for those with allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivities. I quickly realized there were different patterns of challenges faced by sufferers. One of the most puzzling was that some people suffered severe congestion and other allergy symptoms primarily when in bed, but seemed fine the rest of the time. Tests showed that in most cases it wasn't due to reactions to laundry detergents or other laundry chemicals and using powerful air scrubbers showed little effect. What was going on?

Finally, at the International Allergy and Asthma Conference in Atlanta Ga, the culprit was identified. Dust mite allergies. Dust mites are not dirty or pathogenic despite the giant ugly, scary looking bugs you see in duct cleaning commercials etc. They live on the skin cells we constantly shed and populate every area of the body there's hair. An older pillow can be 50% dist mites and dust mite feces by weight and typical populations on blankets and sheets run about 350,000/sq meter. This may sound gross, but for those not reactive to the proteins in their bodies and wastes, they're simply not an issue. If you're sniffling and congested in bed and when you first wake up, but you're usually fine the rest of the day it may well be this common allergy.

Fortunately there is a simple test and fix. Purchase 4-6 mil construction plastic from your local building supply store and wrap it around your mattress. As long as you tuck it in well, the bottom of the mattress is not a big issue because dust mites are heavier than air. Use clear plastic but not vinyl, because that strong plastic odor is quite toxic. Wrap your pillows in plastic bags, press out some of the air so you're not sleeping on balloons and tape shut.

Before remaking the bed, wash all bedding in straight hot water and soap. It must be hot water or you'll just wind up with clean dust mites. This will reduce populations from about 350,000/sq meter to around 5/sq meter. If symptoms markedly improve, purchase dust mite proof mattress and pillow case covers. Again, ensure the fabric is not treated with vinyl due to toxicity.

It's important to realize that dust mites will immediately start to colonize the bedding and dust mite covers. When symptoms start to return, repeat the washing process for all as above.

Some years ago I read a shocking article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). With a straight face, the article explained that dust mite proof covers had no lasting benefit to allergy sufferers. The obvious inference is that you need to continue with medical interventions. It's hard to believe the authors really didn't understand that you have to periodically wash everything again to get back to your start point. If they truly didn't, it's scary to think that people like this drive drug development and research and dictate medical practice norms.

Should this not work, try changing to unscented laundry soap and fabric softeners. Aside from the known carcinogens found in synthetic scents, some are sensitive to them and experience congestion.