NEW YORK – For the one-quarter of American adults who have been diagnosed with seasonal allergies, spring and early summer can be miserable.

Between April and June, tree and grass pollen levels in many parts of the country are high. And climate change is only making allergy season longer and more intense. In some areas, seasonal allergies last all year.

Many allergy sufferers feel exhausted during the day, in large part because of nasal congestion that disrupts their sleep, said Timothy Craig, a professor of allergy and immunology at Pennsylvania State University.

When you breathe, pollen can get trapped inside your nose and cause inflammation that results in congestion. That stuffiness can cause brief interruptions in sleep throughout the night, Craig added.

Congestion can encourage you to breathe through your mouth – instead of your nose – which is a less efficient way to deliver oxygen to the lungs, said Peter Hwang, an ear, nose and throat doctor and professor of head and neck surgery at Stanford University. All these can seriously compromise your sleep, he added.

Here are some expert tips to help you rest better.

Minimising how much pollen accumulates indoors, especially in your bedroom, can make a big difference in how well you breathe – and how well you sleep, said Shelby Harris, a psychologist who specialises in sleep medicine in New York City.

Pollen can stick around on clothes, even after you shake them out. And once it makes its way into your home, it can linger and trigger symptoms.

As soon as you get home, take off your shoes and any other outerwear and leave them by the door, said Harris. Change into clean clothes as soon as you can and put your pollinated clothing directly into a washing machine and close the door, she added. Clothes sitting in a hamper can re...