How do you deal with this...an allergy issue

[radacrider]

Don't know about the smell issue - do any of those febreeze things work? I use Zyrtec when the allergies or my system goes way into overdrive to the point of rashes.

good luck.

[OakLeaf]

Not that it will help you with last night's sleep ... but I take a Chlor-Trimeton (chlorpheniramine maleate, the little yellow pillls) pretty much every night when my allergic load is very high, on top of the immunotherapy and loratadine and Singulair.

Diphenhydramine (benadryl) never does much for me in terms of allergy relief, but it will definitely knock you out, and if it works for you as an antihistamine, it's another option.

[7rider]

Nothing to offer, but you have my sympathy. As a raging insomniac, I usually do events - cycling, running, even trips out skiing* - on little or no sleep. It's become standard function for me.

* Home is at 350' elevation - first 4 nights or so at 9'000' in the Rockies usually lead to no sleep. I think by night 5, it's just sheer exhaustion that knocks me out.

[zoom-zoom]

Not that it will help you with last night's sleep ... but I take a Chlor-Trimeton (chlorpheniramine maleate, the little yellow pillls) pretty much every night when my allergic load is very high, on top of the immunotherapy and loratadine and Singulair.

Diphenhydramine (benadryl) never does much for me in terms of allergy relief, but it will definitely knock you out, and if it works for you as an antihistamine, it's another option.

Either one of those works well for me, but they knock me the heck out...like a drooling zombie. I've had better luck with Zyrtec (no luck with Allegra or Claritin). YMMV.

[westtexas]

I am not an allergy sufferer (the only one in my whole family, oddly enough), but I can tell you what my father/brother do. They live in Houston and the pollen season here has been pretty bad already (we're almost to our summer season at this point), although not as bad as previous years.

Both of them use claritin or another OTC antihistamine product. We always keep Alaway (or another antihistamine eye drop) on hand for itchy, water eyes, especially after riding in tough winds that blow pollen all over you. They also frequently wash their bedding and use hypoallergenic pillows. When they travel, they bring their own pillows.

Another thing you can do is to get one of those netti-pot type products meant for people with congested sinuses during cold/flu season. You can flush your sinuses with that or a saline rinse to help decrease the pollen load that gets sucked up your face as you breathe. My brother has had good success with doing this after riding around in Houston daily. We like to say, Dilution is the Solution to Pollution.

I saw someone else mention that you could spray Febreeze to lessen the musty smell. My only thought on this is that, if it's as humid as it seems where you are, the Febreeze will never dry, and you'll be stuck in a musty/Febreezy bed that is also damp. Humidity sucks... I am so glad I am moving to the desert soon.

[zoom-zoom]

Another thing you can do is to get one of those netti-pot type products meant for people with congested sinuses during cold/flu season. You can flush your sinuses with that or a saline rinse to help decrease the pollen load that gets sucked up your face as you breathe. My brother has had good success with doing this after riding around in Houston daily. We like to say, Dilution is the Solution to Pollution.

Oh, yes, the neti pot is priceless. I used to suffer 3-4 sinus infections/year. Now I am down to 1 maybe every-other year.

[OakLeaf]

+1 on the neti pot, and also washing your face before bed.

To keep your face off those moldy hotel pillows (and support your neck), I just take a bath towel, fold it in thirds, roll it and put it under my neck, to sleep on my back.

But the pollen this year has been insane, and the molds have come right up just as the pollen is going down. I've been fighting a raging case of allergic conjunctivitis (could hardly see out of my left eye), which I've never had to deal with before outside of very mild itching. My doctor prescribed Patanol eye drop$$ which only helped about halfway until the pollen came down a bit.

[malkin]

I got steroid nose spray from my doc.

It's pricey (and probably makes me ineligible for certain competitions), but I have permission to bump up the dose for situations like you describe.

[Mr. Bloom]

Thanks for all the responses! Specifically, I'm concerned with addressing the musty smells since their impact on me is extreme. For various reasons, I'm unable to use antihistamines or steroids...

however, I like the Febreeze idea and will try that

Oh yeah +1 on neti pot!