Health

Sleeping with the window open could wreck your lungs this summer

Published on May 29, 2025

Warm nights are on the way, and the first thing many of us do is fling the bedroom window wide for a bit of breeze. Asthma + Lung UK want you to think twice. Their specialists warn that people with asthma COPD or any breathing difficulty should resist the temptation during pollen season because the fresh air you are longing for can carry an invisible cocktail that leaves you wheezing and wide awake.

“Pollen could affect your sleep if you have a lung condition like asthma or COPD. Pollen can come in through your windows, so try to keep the windows and doors where you sleep shut as much as possible during pollen season.”

That advice is from the charity’s own experts and it might sound dramatic until you look at the numbers. In 2021 around 24.9 million people in the United States were living with asthma, and nearly half of them plus more than a quarter of those with COPD say pollen triggers their symptoms. Substitute Britain’s figures and you still get a huge community at risk, reported Surrey Live.

The science is straightforward. Asthma narrows and inflames the airways. Add an allergen such as pollen and your body quickly stacks more swelling on top along with sticky mucus while the muscles around the tubes clamp down. Breathing turns into a struggle, not the relaxing drift off you wanted when you cracked the window.

Night time can be the worst moment. Hormone levels change while you sleep, lying flat shifts fluids, and the cooler air outside encourages pollen to sink to ground level then float through an open sash straight onto your pillow. Grass pollen is the big troublemaker in the UK between May and July, but weeds keep releasing the stuff until September. Asthma + Lung UK say hospital admissions rise when grass pollen peaks, and anyone with a history of attacks should treat the forecast the same way beachgoers treat a storm warning.

Closing every window sounds stifling, yet you can still keep the room fresh. Use extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens, clean them regularly so they pull humid air out properly, and dry clothes outdoors so damp does not build up indoors. A dehumidifier can help when the weather turns muggy but run it sparingly because air that is too dry can irritate throats and sinuses.

Ventilation sorted, you need a game plan for the days when pollen counts soar. Weather apps and many smartphone widgets now flag high pollen alongside sunshine and showers, giving you a chance to prepare.

The charity recommends that anyone with asthma sticks to their preventer inhaler every day to build protection, keeps a reliever inhaler within easy reach at night, and pairs non drowsy antihistamine tablets with a steroid nasal spray if hay fever symptoms flare. They also remind us to check devices are not past their expiry dates and to store inhalers somewhere cool so the canister pressure stays stable.

If you cannot resist a sliver of night air, try opening a window in another room and keep your bedroom door ajar so the breeze takes a longer path and some pollen settles before it reaches you. Better yet wait until after a heavy shower because rain knocks much of the pollen out of the air. Little adjustments like that can mean finishing August without a single 3am coughing fit, which is probably worth a slightly stuffier bed time in June.

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