Eye Allergies and Sleep Struggles - And What You Can Do About It!

Following the short months of summer, you may have noticed yourself or even your child rubbing their eyes, sneezing more, or complaining about itchiness – signs of potential allergies that could be affecting more than you think, especially at night.  

Allergies are more common than you may realize, with approximately a quarter of Canadians experiencing allergies, according to the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. [1] Allergy symptoms can disrupt your daily life, making even simple and joyful activities like playing sports or reading a book difficult to enjoy. The discomfort may slowly chip away at one’s quality of life. [2]

More often than adults, children tend to suffer from eye allergies. [3] As a parent, you may feel uncertain on how to help your children’s discomfort during the day, but with sleepless nights as well. Did you know that in a study of 154 children, nearly 90% of children with eye allergies reported poor sleep? Your child may not only be more fatigued than usual, but also feel anxious about falling asleep, have shorter sleep duration, and experience greater daytime sleepiness. [4]  

High-quality sleep plays a key role in learning and effective development, and the poor sleep quality in children with eye allergies may weigh on their daytime functioning and overall quality of life. Studies show that children with eye allergies may not perform as well in school compared to healthy children, [5] and 1 out of every 4 teenagers expressed that sleepiness has impacted their grades. [6] Overall, your children’s quality of life can descend with the severity of eye allergies. [5]

Compounding these concerns is that you, as a parent, can also be affected. When eye allergies keep your children awake, it can be exhausting for everyone. Your sleep quality often suffers right along with your children’s, [4] and your quality of life goes down too! [5] Eye allergies can impact multiple people on various levels.

Finding Relief: Feel the Difference with Small Changes to Your Daily Routine

When you see your children struggle with eye allergies, your worries may build. How can you help them get a good night’s sleep? The good news is, there are a few simple ways and adjustments to help manage their eye allergies:

• Allergen Control: Keeping your children’s bedroom and living space clean and allergen-free can make a big difference. Regularly wash bedsheets/pillow covers, vacuum often, and try to keep pets out of the room to prevent allergen build-up.

• Daily Lid Hygiene: Allergens often collect on the eyelids, which can make the symptoms worse. Gently clean their eyelids with feel-good, soap-free CALMO® Lid Care and NACLINO™ Lid Wipes to help remove these irritants and provide relief.

  
  

The issue worrying you the most is whether eye allergy treatments would be effective. [5] You may have tried several allergy medications, but these allergy treatments can come with side effects like drowsiness, dry eyes, and sleep disturbance! [6]

That’s why HYLO-DUAL® mini and HYLO-DUAL® come in handy. These preservative-free all-round eye drops offer relief from both allergy and dry eye symptoms.

The unique formulation of HYLO-DUAL® mini and HYLO-DUAL® with ectoine, suitable for children aged 6 and above, can provide immediate comfort, moisturize, and protect the irritated eyes from allergens and symptoms such as itching and burning. Alongside the high quality, high molecular weight sodium hyaluronate for long-lasting dry eye relief. Knowing that with HYLO® bottle technology, each drop is safe, sterile, and easy to use also gives you peace of mind.

A Better Night’s Sleep for You and Your Child

You don’t have to witness your child struggling with poor sleep. This fall, manage their eye allergies with

HYLO-DUAL® mini/HYLO-DUAL® and make simple changes to their daily routine using CALMO® Lid Care and NACLINO™ Lid Wipes. You can help them find allergy relief and be ready to tackle the day with energy—while giving yourself the chance to finally rest, too.

Find HYLO-DUAL® mini/HYLO-DUAL® and CALMO® Lid Care / NACLINO™ Lid Wipes at your local optometry and ophthalmology clinic or pharmacy.

Feel the Difference.

Should you have any concerns about your eye health, please consult with your eye health professional for medical assistance.

CandorVision™ – Your eyes are everything!

References:

1. Dangerfield K. Global News [Internet]. ‘Pollen season is here’: Spring allergies arrive early in some parts of Canada - National | Globalnews.ca; 2024 Mar 5 [cited 2024 Sep 19]. Available from: https://globalnews.ca/news/10333131/spring-allergy-season-canada-2024/#:~:text=About%20one-quarter%20of%20Canadians,,%20itchy,%20and%20reddened%20eyes. 

2. Meltzer EO. Quality of life in adults and children with allergic rhinitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2001 Jul;108(1 Suppl):S45-53. doi: 10.1067/mai.2001.115566. PMID: 11449206. 

3. Patel DS, Arunakirinathan M, Stuart A, Angunawela R. Allergic eye disease. BMJ. 2017 Nov 2;359:j4706. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j4706. PMID: 29097360. 

4. Li J, Zhang SY, Fan Z, Liu R, Jin L, Liang L. Impaired sleep quality in children with allergic conjunctivitis and their parents. Eye (Lond). 2023 Jun;37(8):1558-1565. doi: 10.1038/s41433-022-02182-4. Epub 2022 Jul 22. PMID: 35869391; PMCID: PMC10220017. 

5. Zhang SY, Li J, Liu R, Lao HY, Fan Z, Jin L, Liang L, Liu Y. Association of Allergic Conjunctivitis With Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Their Parents. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2021 Aug 1;139(8):830-837. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2021.1708. PMID: 34110380; PMCID: PMC8193548. 

6. The Douglas Research Centre [Internet]. Sleep and children: the impact of lack of sleep on daily life - The Douglas Research Centre; [cited 2024 Sep 19]. Available from: https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/sleep-and-children-impact-lack-sleep-daily-life/#:~:text=Up%20to%2024%%20of%20teenage,who%20achieved%20A's%20or%20B's  

7. Ozdemir PG, Karadag AS, Selvi Y, Boysan M, Bilgili SG, Aydin A, Onder S. Assessment of the effects of antihistamine drugs on mood, sleep quality, sleepiness, and dream anxiety. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2014 Aug;18(3):161-8. doi: 10.3109/13651501.2014.907919. Epub 2014 Apr 23. PMID: 24673474.