Is my mattress the cause of my sneezing and runny nose?
September 7, 2010 6:50 AM Subscribe
Help! Sneezing and runny nose every night! Is it my mattress or have allergies come back to haunt me?
My gf and I rearranged our room about 2 months ago and in the process switched from her mattress to my mattress that we were keeping in storage in the basement. Low and behold about exactly when this change occurred I started getting a horrible runny nose/sneezing every night since then.
I am allergic to dust mites and pollen but I can't even remember the last time I had an issue with allergies. I used to get allergy shots, take medicine, and use a nose spray in high school but my issues seemed to subside on their own so I haven't done any of that in over ten years.
The mattress was put in the basement when I moved into her place about 5 months ago. So it was sitting down there for awhile which is why I wonder if maybe I ruined it by keeping it down there. I cleaned/washed and vacummed the mattress, and have also since put on allergy covers on the mattress, box spring, and pillows with no help to my nose running/sneezing.
Has anyone had a similar experience with either a mattress causing these issues or just allergies in general that have come back to haunt you?
I've tried all the allergy meds and nothing helps too greatly which is why I'll either be going to the doctors very soon or buying a new mattress, probably both. I feel that if it were the mattress the allergy covers would have helped by now.
My gf and I rearranged our room about 2 months ago and in the process switched from her mattress to my mattress that we were keeping in storage in the basement. Low and behold about exactly when this change occurred I started getting a horrible runny nose/sneezing every night since then.
I am allergic to dust mites and pollen but I can't even remember the last time I had an issue with allergies. I used to get allergy shots, take medicine, and use a nose spray in high school but my issues seemed to subside on their own so I haven't done any of that in over ten years.
The mattress was put in the basement when I moved into her place about 5 months ago. So it was sitting down there for awhile which is why I wonder if maybe I ruined it by keeping it down there. I cleaned/washed and vacummed the mattress, and have also since put on allergy covers on the mattress, box spring, and pillows with no help to my nose running/sneezing.
Has anyone had a similar experience with either a mattress causing these issues or just allergies in general that have come back to haunt you?
I've tried all the allergy meds and nothing helps too greatly which is why I'll either be going to the doctors very soon or buying a new mattress, probably both. I feel that if it were the mattress the allergy covers would have helped by now.
The dust mites are (were?) probably thriving in your stored mattress. You're not allergic the the mites, so much as their frass.
You can google insect frass at your leisure.
posted by bilabial at 6:59 AM on September 7, 2010
You can google insect frass at your leisure.
posted by bilabial at 6:59 AM on September 7, 2010
Some peripheral things to check: replace your household air filter (try the micro-filtration ones)... also check to see if it might be your nightwear.
posted by crapmatic at 7:12 AM on September 7, 2010
posted by crapmatic at 7:12 AM on September 7, 2010
If you're allergic to dust mites and pollen (solidarity, my overactive immune-system brother!) there's a very good chance that you're also allergic to down (down as in "bird feathers", not down as in "the direction"). It might not be your mattress that's the problem, it might be your pillow or comforter. Try switching them up.
posted by gkhan at 7:29 AM on September 7, 2010
posted by gkhan at 7:29 AM on September 7, 2010
give the pillows a wash in hot water and dry them completely on high in the dryer, or toss 'em if they are down as gkhan suggests. Dust mites could be the initial problem, but if you slept on the bed sans allergy cover for a few days and the dust mites were really severe, there could have been some transfer to the pillows.
posted by paddingtonb at 8:15 AM on September 7, 2010
posted by paddingtonb at 8:15 AM on September 7, 2010
Best answer: Is it possible that the mattress got moldy while in storage? That would certainly be a reason for your allergies to kick up all of a sudden. I would also try getting new pillows, I'm allergic to dust and replace my pillows at least once a year.
posted by sadtomato at 9:10 PM on September 7, 2010
posted by sadtomato at 9:10 PM on September 7, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I don't see any mold on the mattress but I'm not exactly sure if that's something you would notice. I'm going to get new pillows and see how that works out. I clean the room all the time with a swiffer wet mop so I definitely minimize the dust in the room.
I've been living here for about 6 months and sleeping here on weekends for about a year without any problems until this started up.
posted by modoriculous at 6:19 AM on September 8, 2010
I've been living here for about 6 months and sleeping here on weekends for about a year without any problems until this started up.
posted by modoriculous at 6:19 AM on September 8, 2010
What is the mattress made out of? Some people are allergic to latex. Check mattress, mattress pads and pillows. If they are latex, remove them and see what happens.
posted by DPumpkin at 4:49 PM on January 30, 2011
posted by DPumpkin at 4:49 PM on January 30, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Meanwhile, have you tried sleeping in another room in the house? Do you have a friend/parent inn the general vicinity who will let you spend a night at their place for experimental purposes? I don't know how long you've been living in your area, but if it's less than a year, you may be experiencing a natural upswing in something you're allergic to.
posted by griphus at 6:58 AM on September 7, 2010