IF YOU HAVE MULTIPLE ALLERGIES: WHAT TO TRY
If you have multiple allergies, you may already have discovered them through trial and error. If you have already tried a variety of different kinds of bedding, the best advice is do not throw anything away – it may come in useful one day.
Many people with multiple allergies find that they tolerate one material for a while, then start to react to it. If they leave it out and use something else for a time, they can often go back to the previous bedding and use it again – at least for a period. It is a way of managing multiple allergies – to give your system a break and not to overload.
So if you find yourself reacting to something that has been fine for a while, do not feel desperate and that the end has come. Just put it away for a bit and try again later.
What to Try
If you begin to feel desperate, having tried a range of the obvious and cheaper materials, you could try more unusual and expensive options.
Linen and silk can cause allergy, but allergy to these is less common, mainly because people rarely wear them. The less exposed you are, the less likely you are to react. Linen and silk bedlinen is extremely expensive and less practical to wash, but you can improvise by using a linen tea-towel or a silk scarf as a pillowcase, or as a cloth to cover blankets or duvet where you breathe in. If you can afford to buy new bedding, sources for linen and silk bedding are given below, including a source for silk-filled duvets
If you tolerate wool, you can buy wool-filled pillows and wool duvets (sources below). You can also improvise by using a wool sweater or rug as a pillow, or folding it over your upper bedclothes to protect where you inhale.
You can sometimes find herb or hop pillows in gift shops. They usually have other fillings, such as kapok or cotton, as well as the herbs or hops. Some people tolerate these well.
Choose Your Poison
If you really cannot find anything you tolerate well, even the most expensive options, then you are left with the grim prospect of choosing your poison – being forced to choose the option that upsets you the least and using that one. It might be a combination of different materials – a pillow or pillowcase of one material, and sheets or duvet of another – or whatever suits you. You may eventually go back to something you originally discarded, such as polycotton, pure nylon or feathers – they may upset you but not as badly as other things. Alternatively, you could try rotating – use one set of bedding for a while, or for one week at a time – so that you never build up very severe reactions to one particular material. It can be hard work, so only do it if it is worth the effort for you.
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