Everyone needs a good night’s sleep, right? If you don’t get enough hours in, you can be cranky or feel tired all day. You may have trouble focusing and getting through the work you have to do.
If that’s a constant problem for you, then of course you will want to look at the factors that might be affecting your sleep. Some of these may be obvious, like the neighbors playing loud music at night, you drinking coffee shortly before bed, and worries and fears you have running through your mind. One of the factors you might not think about, though, is the dust in your home. There is a direct link to how little sleep some people get and how much dust is hanging out around their home.
Let’s talk about it.
Look Out for Dust Mites
What do you know about dust mites? These are tiny creatures that are hiding in dust all through your house, but they are so small that you can’t see them. Some people have an allergy to dust mites, and many dust allergies are actually dust mite allergies. These little critters will irritate your sinuses and make you feel like you are coming down with a cold or something even worse.
When a dust mite allergy strikes, you may feel tired and might start to sneeze, cough, or experience a runny nose. You may even experience chest pain or chest tightness, which can make it very uncomfortable to find a good sleeping position. These are many of the traditional allergy symptoms, and they can activate when you are cleaning your home or hanging out around dust. If you haven’t cleaned your home in a while and you feel allergies kicking in, you might be able to blame it on the dust mites.
Stuffed Sinuses
Why is it that dust keeps us from sleeping, though? Well, it clogs the sinuses up and makes it difficult to breathe. You can try to elevate your head, take some medicine, and use a steam inhaler to clear out your sinuses, and maybe one of those will work for you. But why not deal with the problem before you go to bed and before it becomes a sinus issue?
You do that by keeping a clean house and keeping dust out. Even if you aren’t bothered by the way dusty shelves and dirty floors look, you will be bothered by a poor night’s sleep and the repercussions that come with that. You might not notice the problem until you try to sleep and feel yourself struggling to clear your sinuses. Changing positions and taking deep breaths won’t make any difference if there is dust in the air and it is clogging up your sinuses.
You can stop stuffy sinuses early on and ensure you get a better night’s sleep by cleaning your house early in the day. Try clearing it right before bed and you will be miserable. There will be so much dust flying around in your home afterwards that you won’t be able to breathe properly.
If you need cleaning services performed in San Francisco, consider hiring some professional cleaners. That way, you don’t have to deal with the dust yourself, which may be a smart move for people with strong allergies and severe reactions to dust mites. If you can get someone else to clean your home while you are out, then when you come back to a clean home, you should be able to sleep soundly without any clogged sinuses. Imagine how peaceful that will be.
Clean Smartly to Avoid Dust
There are a few cleaning tips we want to share with you that can help you clean more effectively, get rid of dust better, and avoid getting dust in your sinuses.
First of all, make sure you have proper ventilation when you clean. You can open windows and doors and set up a fan to circulate air. Fresh air will help you to breathe easier and will allow floating dust particles to escape outside.
Secondly, you should wear a face mask when you clean. A typical painter’s mask will work or any mask you used during covid will be fine as well. Wearing a mask the entire time you are cleaning and dusting will ensure that dust will not get into your nose.
Thirdly, you can use proper dusting techniques to remove dust without sending the particles up into the air. Wipe down shelves and countertops with a wet cloth and clean your floors with a wet mop as well. This will trap the dust rather than simply moving it around or pushing particles into the air. Dry dusting cloths and feather dusters are terrible for your allergies and terrible at keeping the air quality high. Use damp cleaning tools to get rid of dust without triggering your allergies.
Minimize Dust in the Home
How do you keep dust to a minimum in your home? Other than cleaning, there are a few ways you can do that.
One of the more effective ways is to use a zippered dust cover. This will keep dust out and will keep your pillows and other items free of dust. It’s most often used in the bedroom to help you sleep better at night with less risk of dust getting into your sinuses.
You can also make sure there is decent ventilation in your bedroom and throughout your house. Good ventilation will minimize dust, and one of the key areas to focus on is your HVAC system. Make sure the air filter is cleaned regularly to keep dust out of circulation.
Our final tip is to adjust the temperature and the humidity of your bedroom and you entire home, if you like). Dust and dust mites like warm and moist places, and it won’t do so well in cool, dry places. It has trouble sticking to surfaces in those kinds of environments, so adjust your thermostat and humidifier accordingly.
With these tips, you should be able to keep dust to a minimum and enjoy a better night’s sleep.