Many people sleep with a fan on to keep their rooms nice and cool or because they enjoy the white noise. While a fan can help you sleep, it may stir up allergens in your bedroom.
Let’s take a look at how a fan may impact your allergies and what you can do about it.
Why Do Fans Trigger Allergies?
Sleep is essential to promoting good physical and mental health. While sleeping with the fan on may help you fall asleep, kicking up allergies can lead to disordered breathing, reducing the restorative qualities of sleep. A fan may exacerbate your allergies by:
- Stirring up allergens. Fans can stir up dust and other allergens that may be lingering in your bedroom.
- Causing dryness. The cold, dry air released from a fan throughout the night can irritate sensitive skin, nasal passages and eyes.
Having allergies doesn’t mean you need to stop sleeping with the fan on. A couple of allergy prevention methods can help you enjoy the noise and coolness of your fan without worrying that allergies will disrupt your sleep.
Allergy Prevention Methods
A couple of simple methods for keeping your bedroom an allergy-free zone include but are not limited to:
- Cleaning. Fans contribute to allergies by kicking up dust, pollen, dander and other allergens. Regular cleaning can help prevent these allergens from accumulating. Make sure to wash your bedsheets weekly and wipe down or dust all hard surfaces every few days to prevent the build-up of allergens. To stop the allergen at its source, take extra care to wipe fan blades when you see dust accumulating.
- Run a humidifier. South Carolina humidity helps a lot in preventing dry air, but if you find your nose, throat, eyes or skin are feeling dry, a humidifier can help provide the moisture you need.
- Keep pets out of the bedroom. Pet dander is an extremely common allergy. Keep pets out of the bedroom to prevent your fan from making dander airborne.
These three tips will help you manage your allergies without taking your fan out of your nighttime routine. For more information on managing allergies, contact Palmetto ENT & Allergy today to make an appointment with one of our trusted experts.