Originally published for Blackdoctor.org
Your home is supposed to be a relaxing, comfortable, and peaceful safe haven but dust allergies within your home can trigger some serious asthmatic troubles if you don’t stay on top of it.
To make matters worse, most allergy symptoms may occur during and after the cleaning process especially when you start to rev up that vacuum cleaner, sweep or dust, which causes the dust particles to fill the air making it easier for you to inhale them.
Do you remember the old saying, “Sleep tight but don’t let the bedbugs bite”? Well, let’s change that wording up a bit and say, “Stay woke, but don’t let the dust mites trigger a flare-up.”
So what exactly are dust mites and where do they come from? The American Lung Association describes dust mites as “microscopic, insect-like pests”. Dust mites are the most common indoor substances or allergens that can trigger allergic reactions and asthma in people.
Dust mites are everywhere! They naturally appear in nearly every home but they thrive off homes that are very dusty, musty, mildew mildew-smelling and those within high humid areas. Since dust mites do not drink water they absorb the moisture from the air, but the good news is they can’t survive in the desert and low-humidity areas.
Dust mites can live within your bedding, mattresses, carpets, curtains, and furniture; but they feed off your dead skin cells found in the dust.
Things can also get more complicated when you have inside pets, such as dogs, birds, and cats who like to climb and roam freely through your home, adding to the piles of dead skin dropping on your carpet and furniture.
I’m not trying to totally gross you out, but I am trying to paint a picture of how everyday occurrences in life can impact your immune system and cause allergic rhinitis. A dust mite allergy can create a runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing.
This allergy condition can also create mild to severe cases of chronic sneezing, coughing, congestion, and facial pressure, which could lead to an asthma attack.
