ALLERGIES CAN HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES
Children need their sleep in order to develop and grow optimally. According to Dr Thulja Trikamjee, a specialist paediatrician and certified allergist from Cape Town, allergies to anything in the environment can result in disturbed sleep. If you’re allergic, this triggers an inflammatory response in the upper respiratory tract. While sleeping, we tend to not be able to compensate for some of the congestion in our nostrils, which is why many people snore or sleep with their mouths open. These two symptoms alone can be very disruptive to sleep.
“The main culprit of night-time allergy is the house dust mite, which lives in all our homes and loves to make its own little environment in our mattresses,” Dr Trikamjee says.
“People with pets indoors might also develop symptoms and reactions to dog, cat, parrot, cockroach and mouse allergen if there is exposure to these inside your home or bedroom. “Constant exposure to an allergen that our body reacts to is not fun! It leaves you with constantly itchy eyes, throat, nose and skin.”
BEGIN WITH THE BED
Dr Trikamjee recommends Clean My Bed, which has the Allergy Foundation of South Africa Seal of Approval. Using a two-step process that involves a medical-grade HEPA 13 vacuum cleaner and a germicidal light, Clean My Bed is able to effectively remove dead skin cells, dust mites and their fecal matter and other allergens such as pet dander.
For more information, see allergyfoundation.co.za and cleanmybed.com.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE… Up to 17 percent of SA children suffer from allergic rhinitis (AR), making it the most common chronic condition in children. Yes, it isn’t life threatening, but it can make your child miserable. In short, the nasal membranes become inflamed when you have hay fever. There will be sneezing, itchy eyes and noses, a runny nose, a postnasal drip, congestion, headaches and tiredness. Dr Tamatha Urquhart, a paediatrician from Faerie Glen in Pretoria who specialises in allergies, says we tend to underestimate the effect these symptoms have on our children. All the sniffling can make them unpopular at school, and their work can suffer due to poor concentration, fatigue, irritability, side effects of medication or absenteeism.
KID-FRIENDLY TREATMENTS
Dr Urquhart says there are treatments that are safe for use in children, including medications called second-generation antihistamines, which are generally nondrowsy, efficacious and fast-acting, with fewer side effects than older or firstgeneration allergy medications.
Try Rupanase Allergy Nasal Spray, which contains a natural compound that relieves the itching and sneezing associated with AR. Visit rupanasens.co.za for more information. Consider desensitisation in cases where pollen is the cause. This type of treatment stimulates the immune system by gradually increasing doses of the substances to which a person is allergic with the aim of improving or stopping the allergic response.