If you suffer from allergies, make sure your sleep environment isn’t contributing to your symptoms. Pillows harbour an ecosystem of allergens that can trigger conditions like asthma, eczema and hay fever, with the biggest culprits being dust mites. These little mites thrive in warm, humid conditions and eat the dead skin cells your body sheds while sleeping. Disgusting, right?
Thankfully there are a myriad of choices out there to help minimise your allergy-risk and maximise your dream time. Let’s take a closer look at some conditions and the best pillows for the job.
Asthma
Asthma is the most common chronic illness amongst South African children and asthma death rates in South Africa are amongst the highest in the world. Asthma symptoms can range from mild to severe, and can include a feeling of breathlessness, a tight chest, wheezing, coughing and asthma attacks which are usually the result of a trigger (e.g. exercise, animal fur and other allergens such as dust).
It’s probably no surprise that dust is the most common year-round trigger of asthma – and our pillows and bedding are perfect spots for dust mites to create a home.
The best ways asthma sufferers can protect themselves from these microscopic critters by using natural latex pillows which are anti-bacterial, hypoallergenic and naturally dust mite resistant. Click here to find out more about Sealy’s new natural latex pillows.
Eczema
Eczema is a recurring skin condition that impacts many South Africans at some point in their lives. It is most commonly found in people with a family history of an atopic disorder like asthma or hay fever.
Atopic eczema is the most common form of eczema. Symptoms of this are dry, red skin that is itchy. In more severe cases the skin may weep, bleed and then create a crusty surface layer.
There are multiple triggers for eczema (though it can also flare up and heal for no reason), including dust mites. Natural latex pillows are recommended for their hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial qualities, and for being inhospitable to dust mites, as well as cooler to sleep on.
Hay fever
Also known as allergic rhinitis, hay fever is triggered by airborne allergens (certain grass and pollens) and general allergens like dust and animal fur. Symptoms include itchy eyes, nose, throat and/or roof of the mouth, sneezing, blocked nosed, runny nose and weepy eyes.
Much like eczema and asthma sufferers, you’ll want to look at pillows that deter dust mites and offer a good level of breathability. Natural latex pillows are a good choice, as are wool and cotton (which are all naturally hypoallergenic) and anti-allergy hollowfibre.
More pillow talk about allergies…
Finding the right pillow is a great start, but there are some other tricks of the trade.
- Wash your pillows. Always look at the instructions from the manufacturer, though, as not all pillow materials are machine-washable.
- When choosing a pillow, consider how you sleep (back, stomach or side) as well as the allergenic risk. For example, cotton pillows can become quite flat, so are not ideal for side sleepers.
- Wash your bedding in water hotter than 55°C to kill mites and get rid of the allergen they produce. If you can’t use a hot wash, use a commercial product that contains essential oils like eucalyptus oil or tea tree oil, which has been created to kill dust mites in cold water. Again, always check the manufacturer instructions before you start blitzing your bedding.
