How to Tell If Your Home Is Making You Sick

Symptoms run the gamut, but here is a list of the most common:

• Coughing from post-nasal drip or bronchial irritation
• Wheezing, difficulty breathing, and asthma (especially in children whose bodies tend to be more sensitive than those of an adult)
• Sneezing, especially when you first enter your home after being gone all day
• Itchy, watery eyes and runny nose or even sinus and respiratory infections that consistently recur or never seem to go away
• Skin reddening and rashes from direct contact or exposure to allergens
• Fatigue: This is more common when symptoms continue for lengthy periods and begin to take a toll on your body. You will feel tired all the time due to insomnia, poor sleep quality, or those other symptoms keeping you up

Visit Your Doctor

A simple trip to your family physician is the best resource you have. Their years of training and education will be much more effective in diagnosing your problem and recommending a treatment or cure than anything you will find on the internet. Do not leave this one up to your own abilities with a search engine. Ask the professional you trust instead. You may have simple allergies from something as common as dust, but it may show that you are allergic to the family pet and never even knew it. For more difficult cases, your doctor may suggest that you undergo a full allergy workup, including skin scratch tests and blood work. These are more expensive, but the fact that they are so comprehensive makes them well-worth the time and cost.

It is possible to put an end to the worst of your allergy symptoms so you can live easier and breathe healthier in your home. Learning how to clean better, removing pollutants, and changing your lifestyle can reduce your reactions to home allergens and eliminate your need for medication.