Popular summer sleeping hack can make hay fever worse and increase your energy bills, experts say

People who suffer from hay fever over the summer are being warned about a popular sleeping hack that could make your symptoms worse.

Many of us use electric fans at night when the weather is warm. But for those who get hay fever, this may not be a good option.

Energy experts at Bionic say fans can make hay fever symptoms much worse. This is because they circulate dust, pollen, and other allergens around the room, which could trigger allergic reactions or asthma attacks. The dryness as a result of using a fan can also irritate your nasal passages, leading to congestion, stuffiness and difficulty breathing.

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In addition, while fans can help you cool down, they don't reduce the temperature. The breeze from a fan simply speeds up the cooling process by sweeping away the water vapour that's just gone into the air from the sweat on your skin and then distributes it throughout the room so you feel less clammy.

And they can also prove costly, reports BirminghamLive. Using a fan every night could cost you up to £6 extra a month in energy bills, based on a 100W fan being used for eight hours a night. That's £72 a year and while some may see this as money well spent to keep cool, if you're using a fan but aren't actively benefiting from the airflow to your skin because you are under a duvet, you're essentially wasting energy and money.

What to do instead of using a fan

Use a white noise app

If you use fans because you benefit from 'white noise', there are lots of white noise apps to download to your devices, and plenty are free to use. This could be a better option than using a fan that's directly plugged in and constantly draining energy. Installing an app on your device means it will be readily available when you travel too. Plus, there's the added benefit of the choice of many different white noise sounds that you can try out.

Open windows

If you need your bedroom to be cold so you can sleep, or you like to feel a breeze during the night, try opening your bedroom windows. This could alleviate the uncomfortable feeling of warmer temperatures in the night without compromising your energy bills.

Invest in blackout curtains/blinds

Blackout curtains and blinds will also reduce the temperature of your room. If your windows are sun-facing in the afternoon, draw your curtains and blinds to prevent the sun from heating up your room.

Change to lighter bedding

Switching to a lower tog duvet and lower thread-count sheets can also reduce the feeling of overheating throughout the night.

The NHS has advice for people who get hay fever symptoms here.