Boomers Sleeping With the Window Open

written by Mark Sneller, PhD |

Is It Beneficial?

Weather permitting, many allergic persons sleep with a window open at night for fresh air. They believe that since pollen is released by most trees and many weeds during the day or in the afternoon at latest, there will be few respiratory hazards when they breathe the cooler and fresher nighttime air. What really happens is that much of the pollen remains airborne due to the presence of air currents. In addition, the cooler and denser air mass in the morning hours slides down mountain slopes or contours of the ground to settle into low-lying areas of the community . Anybody who has ridden on a motorcycle and driven down into a dip in the road will recall cool air masses in low-lying areas.

These settled air masses can be a thousand feet in height or much less, but they can bring down with them aeroallergens that have built up in the atmosphere during the daytime hours. Outdoor dust can do the same thing as the particles combine with pollen , mold, vehicular exhaust carbon and a variety of particulate pollutants and cause them to settle out at a high concentration.

In addition, during pollen season, a clinically significant amount of pollen is usually present at all hours of the day or night, just more of it is present during peak hours.

In a word, opening the window for fresh air at night should be reconsidered from season to season and from one location to another. Living...

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