What am I allergic to?

[Bunnyhop1502]

Every day I wake up sneezing and sore throated. It eases off but I still get sneezy and snotty (sorry TMI I know) throughout the day but only at home. I dust once a week and hoover every day. Bed sheets are changed weekly and mattress hoovered. No pets. Windows are opened throughout the day. I have houseplants - a peace lily and an aloe vera but have had them for ages. I haven’t changed any washing detergent or fab con. We have a lawn and a tree outside but again they’ve always been there. I just can’t think for the life of me what it is and it’s really really annoying! I’m currently TTC so don’t want to start taking antihistamines. I had my carpets cleaned last week just in case it was that but no change whatsoever.

Any ideas?

Feather pillows? Quilt?

House/dust mites. Try a piriton before going to bed. Its what my allergy consultant told me to do. It does help.

Oppps saw you can't take antihistamines. Try using hypoallergenic pillows and quilts and damp dusting.

I do have hypoallergenic pillows and a quilt already. I suffer quite badly with hayfever but it wasn’t that bad this year. Maybe a delayed reaction

You can suddenly present with an allergy that you didn't know you had, such as hay fever. So, just because things have always been there doesn't mean that isn't what you're allergic to.

It could also be a reaction to air pollution.

I take 4 antihistamine a day for my eczema, you should take them if you have an allergy.

Do you damp dust? Could be dust?

How old is your mattress quilt and pillow? I'd replace them. It could be dust mites. If you are that troubled go to the Dr and ask for an allergy test.

I wouldn't have the window open tbh if you already suffer from hay fever, could be something from the tree or lawn which might only affect you at this time of year.

Mold, tree pollen etc.
Does the heating come on while you are asleep and lift any dust?

I know someone who reacts to leaf mould/spores around this time of year, so it could be that (especially if you suffer from hay fever).

Could there be mould growing somewhere? Some leak you didn't notice? I once found quite a mushroom colony under bathroom cabinet where a tap had been quietly leaking.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I haven’t tried damp dusting before but I certainly will now. I hoover my mattress weekly when I change the sheets so it could be dust mites but hopefully not. If there is any mould I can’t see it! Our house is “bijou” and very open. Touch wood we’ve not had damp before. There are leaves absolutely everywhere at the moment. I was bagging some up yesterday with a very runny nose so that’s starting to sound like the likely suspect! I also helped clean out a rabbit hutch which certainly set me off. As I’m trying to get pregnant again looks like a visit to the pharmacy is in order to see what’s safe for me to take antihistamine wise. Thanks again everyone - I’m off to damp dust my house

An odd take from me....

I used to find that disturbed or limited sleep made my nose stream for most of the morning (clear/colourless, but thicker than water). This went on for years. I eventually mentioned it to GP - felt stupid basically saying that I'm (literally) allergic to early mornings. However, she proscribed this liquid steroid nose-drops course which cleared it up.

It was always worse on the days I stayed home - I'm going to assume because a tendency to be more sedentary(?) whereas heading out helped my body kick-start its way clear.

@AdamNichol that is interesting! Did you feel like you had a slight pressure behind your nose? And a bit of a sore throat first thing?

Sinus pressure sometimes. Sorry throat incidental as breathing thru mouth half the night

Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy can affect sinuses, earways and throat. I always know when I inadvertantly eaten dairy as my sinuses swell up and I get snotty. If it’s bad I get a sore ear a bit of a cough.

You could try repotting the plants. House plants that haven’t been repotted in a while can harbour mould spores.

Are you washing your bedding at 60 degrees too?

Check your washing powder hasn't changed formula.

Fairy the bastards changed the perfume this year, and I only found out after weeks of itching like fury, not knowing why, then seeing on here that they had a tiny picture on the packaging. Went to check my bottle of liquid, and there it was. Wankers.

I scratched my legs to bleeding messes at night in my sleep because of them.

Use sensitive, unperfumed products for laundry and personal care, sometimes the natural fragrances can cause this. Avoid geraniol, linalool, limonene, citranellol in products. These are now being sneaked into face and body creams with no warning under the guise of natural products, and although they are mainly derived from plants they are still allergens. I cannot use them.

Clean with white vinegar instead of household products. No products containing Febreze or similar (now being sneaked into laundry products), it is a toxin. Avoid Zoflora.

It is likely that something you use has been changed. When I buy something I check the ingredients list against the old packaging to see if anything new has been added and if there is something in there that I know is potentially an irritant or allergen I return it to the shop.

Also check your house for mould, any damp spots, leaks. I would suggest using man made duvets and pillows as feathers can cause problems, old or new ones.

Oh no, not Fairy. Have you found a suitable replacement?