If you’re sneezing, coughing, and feeling down or tired, there’s a chance that you’re being exposed to mold without realizing it. In addition to respiratory issues, mold exposure has been linked to early onset dementia and Alzheimer’s. It’s important to clean your home regularly to control mold, and be aware of the signs of mold exposure.
1. You can’t stop sneezing…
Do you often experience allergy-like symptoms at home? Sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes and throat, stuffy nose, skin irritation and rashes can all be early signs of mold exposure.
When you develop mold toxicity, unusual allergies start to manifest themselves. For example, you may notice that you’re getting sick more often or maybe you keep getting a stuffy nose indoors.
These mold exposure symptoms can occur either immediately or slowly.
2. You’re having trouble breathing.
Asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath and wheezing are also things you may experience when exposed to mold, according to the CDC.
Even if you don’t have seasonal allergies, this is something that can happen to anyone. And in the event that you already have asthma, the exposure to mold can aggravate your symptoms.
3. You’re always feeling tired.
There are a lot of things that can cause fatigue. It’s a common symptom for lots of us. But did you know that feeling fatigued or sluggish can also be the result of mold exposure at home?
Mycotoxins are a type of mold that tend to grow well on food as well as under warm and humid conditions within the home. A 2013 study published in Toxins found exposure to different kinds of mold can cause feelings of chronic fatigue.
4. You can’t seem to focus.
People often experience brain fog and feelings of forgetfulness when exposed to mold. This is because mold can cause inflammation, which in turn can lead to inflammation of the brain.
Mold is an irritant. When present in the body, it can cause an inflammatory reponse. One 2009 neuropsychology study found that when the brain is chronically inflamed due to mold exposure, it can cause long-term cognitive impairment.
5. You’re always feeling down.
In recent years, many studies have found that mold is detrimental to people’s mental health. people’s anxiety and depression,” Rubino says. According to one study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, exposure to damp, moldy households can increase your risk of depression by 34% to 44%.
Another study done in 2020 showed that mold exposure can increase anxiety-like behavior.
Bottom Line
We don’t realize it but unlike our ancestors we spend nearly 90% of our time indoors. And it’s only recently that scientists have begun to look at how it impacts our health. One theme that’s been recurring in all of these studies is that if we want to improve our health, we need to pay attention to the air we breathe.
