Half of nasal allergy sufferers have sleep issues

More than half of U.S. nasal allergy sufferers report sleep issues as a result of their allergy symptoms, but 35 percent treat their symptoms, a survey says.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and Teva Respiratory said the survey also found:

— 57 percent said they’ve experienced difficulty concentrating at work.

— 61 percent said they cannot enjoy the outdoors with their children as much as they would like due to their nasal allergies.

— 71 percent indicated they typically only treat their nasal allergies when they are experiencing symptoms or a flare-up.

— 48 percent said their nasal allergy symptoms, such as nasal congestion and sneezing, also interrupted their partner’s sleep.

“This survey further reinforces that although many people are significantly impacted by their nasal allergies, they are doing very little to avoid the onset of their burdensome symptoms,” Bill McLin, president and of AAFA, said in a statement.

The survey is part of Ditch the Drip: Get Serious about Nasal Allergies, an educational program featuring Misty May-Treanor, three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist and nasal allergy sufferer.

For the second year, May-Treanor will educate the 60 million Americans suffering from nasal allergies about the need for proactive preparation in advance of peak allergy seasons.

The survey of 2,000 U.S. adults diagnosed with nasal allergies was conducted by Manhattan Research on behalf of Teva Respiratory. The margin of error was 2.2 percentage points.

May 12, 2013
UPI.com