Am I the only one in the Pgh area having breathing problems? (mattress)

[marcassha123]

The last five years have been a nightmare. Horrible sleep fog, waking up congested, unable to breathe.

And that's WITH allergy meds, a neti pot, decongestants in the morning and throughout the day AND sleeping in air conditioning.

And I live in the exurbs -- Murrysville, to be exact.

This winter was GREAT.....I could wake up and be able to breathe from the get-go.

Now that spring and summer are here....forget about it.

I welcome any and all suggestions.

[PGH423]

What meds? Make sure you're keeping your place clean and using a high quality HEPA vacuum. Consider a high quality air purifier too. IQair is generally considered the best but it's pricey. I've had good experiences with Metropolitan ENT for my allergies.

[gg]

Originally Posted by marcassha123

The last five years have been a nightmare. Horrible sleep fog, waking up congested, unable to breathe.

And that's WITH allergy meds, a neti pot, decongestants in the morning and throughout the day AND sleeping in air conditioning.

And I live in the exurbs -- Murrysville, to be exact.

This winter was GREAT.....I could wake up and be able to breathe from the get-go.

Now that spring and summer are here....forget about it.

I welcome any and all suggestions.

It sure is wet out there. I have no advice, but my goodness it is so wet all the time! It is like we are living in a swamp.

[Catia]

This sounds like something in your direct (sleeping) environment.


Especially if it is better when your heat is on.
Whatever is bothering you is probably from dampness.
Suggestions:
1st-go to home depot & get one of those cans of ac coil cleaner & clean your ac coils-this should be done every year-ac is notorious for harboring mold/pollen/nasty gunk etc.
2nd vacuum your mattress regularly. seriously-remove the sheets and put the vacuum right on it. pull slowly & let the beater bar get it good.
Pull the bed from where it is & vacuum/scrub/ dust under-if any of it is against the wall-wash the wall-walls hold dust pollen also.do this along molding & windows/doors.
Figure out where the damp or musty parts of your house are & figure a solution to dry them out.
cold be a loose downspot making the basement wet, or damp crawlspace under bedroom etc.


Figure out where in the house you have the least issues.
Start eliminating the variables to narrow down what's affecting you.


Note: if allergy meds are not working, the issue is NOT allergies.
Decongestants work by a different mechanism & can work for most general congestion, allergic or not.
Either it is something you are sensitive to, but not actually allergic, or you cold have an infection in your sinuses & you are more symptomatic after laying down due to eustacian tubes not draining.


Been there, did it all--- plus some.


Oh, if your stuffy-DONT sniffle it back up-always blow it out-that's your body's way of getting rid of the offenders.


Took me quite a while to narrow down my MAIN offender-it ended up being un-primered unsealed texture on my attic ceiling/walls. I didn't realize it wasn't sealed, I thought it was painted with flat paint. Once I realized what it was, I sealed it, it was much better immediately-through the entire house, due to cold air returns, not just the attic, but the attic was the main bad room. I scrubbed the carpeting up there, & while it looked great, it needed to be ripped out, because that dust sticks to everything & is so fine, it's impossible to get it all out.


To this day, even tiny amounts of unsealed spackle or joint compound just kill me, I'm fine when it's wet, but I gotta seal it asap, or I'll suffer-light sensitivity, clogged nose, headaches, and 25 other symptoms.
Then it sets in my chest & I land with bronchitis. My Dr must've done 50 allergy tests/panels-conclusion: I am not allergic, but am hypersensitive to something in it & that's why the allergy meds didn't work, said it's a different reaction, like a chemical sensitivity.


Good luck on your search!

[somewhereibelong]

I've developed seasonal allergies since living only a few miles outside of downtown. Still, it might not have anything to do with the environment because adults can develop allergies suddenly for no reason. But yes I find it harder to breathe in the spring/summer because of the extremely humid conditions. I spent some time out West and had a much much much easier time breathing. When I got back here, I felt immediately swamped by the humidity. I am of normal weight so it's not like it's breathing issues related to that.

But have you ever been checked for sleep apnea? That could be something to explain your sleep fog, congestion, and hard time breathing when you wake up.