A good night’s sleep should be a part of everyone’s daily routine, but it’s far too rare for most people. As an allergy sufferer, you know how it feels to have trouble falling asleep, and to wake up in the morning with red and itchy eyes and a stuffed-up nose. If this sounds like your average daily experience, you may not need to look any further to find the source of your problems than your pillow.

Most pillows are made from either feathers or synthetic materials. Worse yet, they tend to serve as a disturbingly ripe area for dust mites, bacteria, fungi, and other allergens to breed and wreak havoc. All of these microorganisms cause or worsen allergies while ruining your sleep quality, which explains why we can sleep through the night and still wake up feeling like we’ve been hit by a truck.

Fortunately, there are pillow covers that can limit or eliminate these problems and give you your nights back, but the inquiring mind might ask, What’s the difference between an anti-allergy pillow cover and its regular counterpart? We’re glad you asked.

Naturally, any discussion about what’s great about anti-allergy pillows should begin with what types of allergies are caused by regular pillows.

Types of Allergies Caused by Normal Pillows

About one out of every four Americans suffers from allergies or asthma. In fact, asthma is the third most common disease in people under 18-years-old. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly 18 million adults and over 6 million children are affected. About half of all asthma cases are considered allergic-asthma, which means that symptoms are triggered by other allergies.

If you or someone else in your home has allergies or asthma, allergy-induced or otherwise, you have likely taken steps to improve the quality of the air in your home in the past. Many people have been successful in their efforts, but they and their families have continued to struggle with their symptoms. The problem could be in your bedding, or, more specifically, your pillowcases.

Why Normal Pillows Cause Allergy Symptoms

We lose about a liter of moisture at night as we sleep, most of which is absorbed by your pillows and sheets. This moisture makes your bedding a great environment for dust mites and bacteria to breed and grow. Now, envision what that does to allergy symptoms over a period of six, eight, or even ten hours as you inhale and exhale throughout the night, breathing in these allergens. Not good. Not good at all.

As if that isn’t disturbing enough, consider this: thanks to the fecal matter of dust mites and other allergens, your pillow doubles in weight within 18 months. Based on this fact, it should come as no surprise that pillows play a significant role in the severity of all types of allergy symptoms.

So, what can you do about this problem?

What Makes Anti-Allergy Pillow Covers Better

For starters, find a pillow that is made from materials that prevent bacteria growth. The difference between normal and anti-allergen pillow covers is that anti-allergen pillow covers are made of breathable materials. This breathability enables the moisture that you lose when you sleep to escape into the environment as soon as possible, rather than dwelling in your pillow.

If alleviating your allergy symptoms is high on your list of priorities, you can’t replace your pillow soon enough. As far as pillows, those made of latex are generally the best choices for limiting bacteria growth, and a nice polyester knit fabric pillow cover can make your sleeping routine what it should be.

A Note on Pillows

It’s tempting to get a soft pillow that your head can sink right into, but these plush bedtime companions don’t offer much in the way of support. Perhaps the best thing about latex pillows is that they not only put a kibosh on allergens while you sleep, they also support your head and neck during the night.

In Conclusion

You spend countless hours with your head on your pillow over the years. It’s time to make that time well spent so you are able get better sleep at night and be more productive during the day. Once you have the right pillow, and, most importantly, the right pillow cover, you may finally be reminded of what that’s like.