Allergies can turn your day into a nightmare of congestion, sniffling and coughing. Typical indoor allergens include mold spores, dust mites, cockroaches, pet dander, pollen from outside and house dust.

Here are 4 ways your HVAC system could be making things worse and how to deal with it.

Filters
Typical pleated filters don't catch tiny allergen particles. You'll need HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters capable of stopping 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger. To put it into perspective, dog dander is about 2.5 microns and mold spores range from 10 to 30 microns. Keep in mind that HEPA filters affect airflow and the performance of your furnace so you need to discuss this with an HVAC professional before making the change.

Filters must be changed every four months typically but if you're fighting allergies, you need to replace them more frequently. Allergens that build up on the filter can be blown through the ductwork and the longer you leave it, the worse your symptoms will get.

Humidity
High humidity can create the perfect conditions for allergens like mold and dust mites to inhabit your home. Low humidity levels can exacerbate your symptoms by drying out your nasal passage and throat.

If you have a humidifier, have it checked and serviced to ensure that it maintains the right humidity levels in your home. The ideal range is 40-50% in the summer or 30% in the winter. If you have no humidity control at all, you may want to consider

There was a time when the air outside was more polluted than indoor air.

Nowadays, pollutants can be two to five times more concentrated indoors than outdoors. To compound this problem, most people spend up to 90% of their time inside.

Why indoor air quality (IAQ) matters

The air you breath has a huge impact on your wellbeing. Health issues caused by poor IAQ can be immediate or long term depending on the type and concentration of pollutants. Short term symptoms include sore throat, fatigue or headaches. Long term effects include the development of respiratory illnesses and even cancer.

Here are four ways to improve your home's IAQ:

Air cleaners and purifiers

You can clean the air throughout your house or you can deal with it room by room. Whole house air cleaners are placed in the return duct to your furnace. The air first passes through the purifier's filters to remove allergens and pollutants before entering the furnace. Then it gets distributed throughout your home via ductwork.

Alternatively, you can opt for a purifier that takes care of only one room. These units clean more air in that space but the obvious disadvantage is that the rest of the house won't benefit.

UV light

UV light is used in air purifiers to kill bacteria and mold spores so it helps reduce allergens in the home. Depending on the technology used, it can sometimes produce high levels of ozone, which is a pollutant. If you choose to use UV