Why You’re Waking Up Congested & How to Fix It

Do you often wake up in the morning thinking that you’re getting sick? Your nose is stuffy, you feel pressure in your sinuses, and your eyes might even be watery. Well, there’s good news and bad news: The good news is that you might very well not be getting sick! The bad news is that your morning congestion could be caused by indoor air pollution.

In this blog, let’s talk about how poor air quality in your home can leave you feeling stuffy in the mornings, and what you can do about it!

What Does Air Pollution Have to Do With My Nose Being Plugged Up?

First, imagine all the contaminants that might be floating in the air inside your home: dust, hair, pet fur/dander, mold, and plenty more. You might not sense them in any way, but they’re there. These can irritate your airway, leading to pain, dryness, and inflammation throughout your throat, lungs, sinuses, and nose.

Second, consider what happens to your body when you lie down. The muscles of your neck and throat relax, making it more narrow, and mucus naturally pools in the back of your throat due to gravity.

Now, imagine on top of all of this that you also snore (which means you’re not getting the deep sleep you could be), have a respiratory problem (like asthma or bronchitis), or you deal with a sleep disorder (like sleep apnea). Indoor air pollution could be making your symptoms even worse.

So, if it’s not unusual for you to wake up feeling like you’re catching a cold, the air quality in your home could be the reason why.

Consider How Your Lifestyle Could Be Contributing to the Air Quality

No two homes are exactly the same, so one thing you’ll want to do is think about how your daily habits could be adding to the air pollution in your home. We all experience dust, but what else could be going on in your home?

• Do you have pets that shed? Do you allow them on the furniture? 

• Do you smoke, live with a smoker, or produce a lot of smoke via cooking?

• Do you live in a humid climate, where mold growth could be a problem?

• Do you live near wildfires or heavy traffic?

These factors could further worsen your indoor air quality.

How to Eliminate That Morning Congestion

While there are several things you can do at home to ease morning stuffiness, we recommend starting with your bedroom:

• If you allow pets in your bed, consider setting up a designated sleep area for them. Not only are they leaving fur and dander in your sheets, but they bring in all sorts of germs and bacteria from the outdoors.

• Wash your sheets once a week, and consider swapping out your pillowcases in the middle of the week. Pillowcases trap not just contaminants that can leave you feeling congested but sweat and oil from your skin and hair. If you’re sleeping on a dirty pillowcase, you’re breathing that in all night!

• Crack a door/window after bathing to let out the warmth and moisture. This will prevent mold growth.

• Use an air purifier with medical-grade HEPA 13 filtration. The Sans air purifier uses a four-layer filtration system and runs as needed based on the air quality inside your home. Plus, it displays your indoor air quality in real time.

If you follow these tips, you’re already off to a better start and on your way to higher-quality sleep and reduced congestion in the morning.

Whole-home Tips for Reducing Airborne Allergens and Contaminants

Beyond your bedroom, there are additional steps you can take to purify the air and keep yourself and your family healthy.

1. Wash and Vacuum on a Weekly/Monthly Basis

This includes rugs, carpeting, curtains, and furniture. You can throw some things right in the washing machine—potentially your drapes and rugs. A carpet cleaner is a great investment. And for the furniture, use the upholstery attachments on your vacuum cleaner and carpet cleaner.

Not only will this reduce the pollutants in your home in the short-term, but it will also extend the quality and longevity of these things moving forward.

2. Change Your Filters Regularly

Your HVAC system uses filters. For this reason, a lot of people mistakenly think that their air conditioner doubles as an air purifier. However, this is not what your AC is designed to do. At best, it’s trapping very large particles, like hair. But it doesn’t come close to doing what an actual air purifier is capable of.

Regardless, letting those filters get filthy stops the AC from being able to function properly. Plus, contaminants will collect on those filters and simply sit there—so, your air quality suffers anyway.

If you’re not sure how often you should be changing these, talk to a local expert. The schedule you’re on could be affected by the variables like the type of climate you live in and whether you have pets that shed.

3. Leave Outdoor Contaminants Outdoors

When you step inside your home, take your shoes off before you track in more germs and bacteria. After walking your pet, consider leaving a pack of wipes by the door so you can clean off their paws when you come inside. If you know that the air quality outside your home is poor, you might even think about showering and changing clothes right when you get home. Otherwise, if you plop down on the couch in dirty clothes, now, you’re just spreading the contaminants further.

There’s plenty of action you can take to keep the air in your home cleaner. For everything else, there’s Sans. Our multi-layer filtration will remove up to 99.9% of airborne particles down to 0.3 microns in diameter. Learn more about the Sans air technology.