There are days when feeling very tired in the morning makes perfect sense. For instance, if you had a very stressful day at work, you had to multitask or juggle between house chores throughout the day or you didn’t have enough sleep at night. But sometimes even when you had a good sleep and rested most part of the day you might still wake up very tired in the morning for just no reason. If you’re feeling sluggish by morning after a good night’s sleep or you’re just feeling tired for no obvious reason, then you should take note of your indoor environment and observe if anything feels odd. A lot could be going wrong silently without you knowing so it’ll be good if you pay attention to small details like musty smell in the air and dampness in certain rooms. Sometimes, there might even be dark patches or spots in areas around the window frame, the ceiling of your bathroom or in corners of your bedroom. These spots may appear so small that many homeowners may overlook them and others may just wipe them with a cloth and forget about them.
So, you may be wondering if your morning tiredness could possibly be connected to these little spots and musty smell…the truth is, there’s a high possibility. And those patches you see in your room are likely mold growth.
Mold has its character and the two major ways to spot them are; when you see stains on the wall or notice persistent damp smell in your room. So, now that we know the character of mold, the next thing we should be thinking of is how does this mold affect the air inside a home? And can mold inside a house actually make homeowners feel tired all the time?
The answer is not a straightforward YES or NO, but we know that mold has a way of affecting people’s health and it can sometimes influence how people feel.
Why Mold Grows Inside Homes
Before we go into detail about how mold can affect your energy level, let’s start by understanding what mold is and why it grows in homes in the first place.
Mold is a living organism that can be found anywhere in the environment, including in your most treasured bedroom. This microorganism is not a plant or animal, it is classified under the kingdom Fungi and is known to play a major role in decomposing organic materials. Wherever molds are found, they release tiny spores into the air and these spores float around both indoor and outdoor and often remain harmless until they find the right conditions to grow. What this means is that a mold can be present on a surface and it won’t grow, decompose materials or harm humans in its vicinity, but as soon as a mold spore lands on a damp or moisty surface, it blossoms and starts growing. All that is needed is moisture which can come from a slow plumbing leak or everyday activities.
Everyday Activities That Add Moisture Indoors And Areas Where Mold Appears First
Moisture can come from different sources in a house but mold growth often occurs in some predictable places in the house. Aside from leaks from plumbing and roof leaks, moisture can also come from daily activities like cooking and bathing. When you take a shower, the bathroom becomes filled with humid air and if all of this moisty air doesn’t escape through the window, it’ll spread to other parts of the house or settle near the ceiling of the bathroom. The kitchen is another room where a lot of humid air is created. When you boil water or cook, steam from the pot spreads into the kitchen space and this can escape into the rest of the house. Mold can also grow near sinks, in hidden or closed kitchen furniture or in poorly ventilated cooking areas.
Bedrooms also experience mold growth and the moisture that facilitates this growth often comes from breathing. A large family or four persons sleeping in a single room can release a surprisingly high amount of moisture into the air overnight from their breathing as they sleep.
Basements and storage areas like wardrobes are another easy place to find a growing colony of mold. This is because the temperatures in these places are cooler and there’s limited airflow that can remove dampness or humid air.
Moisture from these places and activities are supposed to be released outdoors through ventilation but when air circulation is poor or windows are closed, humidity gradually builds up and creates dampness that enhances mold growth.
What Happens When Mold Begins Growing Indoors
The first thing usually noticed when mold is present in a home is the appearance of a black stain that can sometimes look like a dark cluster spreading across a surface. This stain is usually not seen as harmful by many homeowners and it is usually ignored but mold is not just an ordinary stain sitting on the wall, the moment it starts growing, it becomes a very active part of the home.
Mold Releases Microscopic Spores into the Air
Spores are very small particles that are often invisible to the naked eye and they are usually released into the air when mold grows. Air flow in the home can transfer these spores from one room to another or from one damp section of the home to another and before you know it these spores have been scattered all over the home.
As the spores spread all over the air in the home, people unavoidably breathe them in and this can have a negative impact on an individual.
Mold exists both indoor and outdoors and it is possible for individuals to inhale mold spores outside the home. However, there is a difference between having mold growth in the home and having mold growth outdoors and this difference is based on concentration.
When there is mold growth in the home, the number of spores in the air increases gradually due to limited ventilation and overtime, the air circulating in the home will contain a higher level of these particles. While some persons can continue breathing in air full of spores in the home and not have any noticeable problems, others may be affected by it.
Why Outdoor Mold Exposure is Different From Indoor Mold
Mold spores outdoors are easily diluted or dispersed by the wind across wide areas so the concentration of spores in the outdoor environment is usually lesser and the direct impact on humans is also reduced.
Inside a home, the environment is far more contained because the walls, ceilings, and furniture trap a lot of air within the living space so particles linger a lot longer. If there is a continuous moisture problem in the home and mold keeps growing, the air indoors can slowly become more saturated with spores and when this begins to happen, the body begins to respond in different ways. Many people may not easily understand when their body begins to respond to these spores in the home and they may end up connecting these body responses to the wrong reasons.
Can Mold In a House Actually Make You Feel Tired?
If you want a straightforward answer to this question, then the short answer is YES, mold can SOMETIMES make you feel tired. Although mold does not directly drain energy from your body by itself, instead, the tiredness that you experience is usually a result of your body’s response to mold spores and poor indoor air quality. Let’s get into detail on why your body responds the way it does and how it linked to you getting fatigued.
The immune system in the human body is wired to identify and respond to things that do not belong to the body; it works like a police. When mold enters your house and starts to grow and release spores, these particles find their way into the nose or lungs and as soon as they get there your body starts treating it like other environmental irritants.
So what does the body do to protect itself? The first reaction of the human body is usually to release chemicals that will trigger a mild inflammation in the airways or in tissues surrounding your lungs. This is done to trap, arrest and remove the unwanted particles. But while the red alert is being triggered and the immunity soldiers are doing their job, your body may start to feel overworked. In fact, the immune system in some people that are very sensitive will continue to work and fight against the spores as long as the person is exposed to air containing mold spores.
Now, this is where the energy drain comes from! Since the immune system has been set in motion to continue working, it uses energy from your body to maintain the defense process. Note that many people experience instant breathing irritation and stuffy nose when they are exposed to mold spores. This breathing difficulty also takes some energy from the body because the affected person will have to sometimes breathe in and out with extra force. With such breathing difficulty, it becomes almost impossible to have a restful sleep. So while the person must have spent long hours in bed sleeping, his/her body was likely active doing the defense work. The result by morning is a kind of fatigue that is difficult to explain. Some people describe it as a foggy or sluggish feeling while others say they feel unusually tired throughout the day.
It’s important to note that this feeling of tiredness or fatigue doesn’t happen to everyone who lives in homes infested with mold.
How Mold Exposure Directly Affects the Body Over Time
If mold exposure continues for weeks or months, the body may start responding in different ways and the effects become more noticeable as time goes by. Let’s try to understand some of the reactions of the body to mold exposure over a long period.
Airway Irritation and Breathing Disruption: One of the most common responses of the human body to mold spores in the air is irritation of the nose, throat and lungs; these respiratory parts act as a filter and they capture particles that are trying to enter the body through the breathing process. When these tissues arrest the mold spores, your body starts producing mucus and breathing becomes more discomforting. These two processes make your body work harder even during sleep when your body is supposed to be relaxing.
Allergic Reaction: Mold exposure in people with sensitive immune systems can trigger allergic reactions which may lead to symptoms like sneezing, itchy eyes or coughing. If these symptoms occur repeatedly, your body will be in a state of constant irritation and recovery and this may contribute to feelings of tiredness throughout the day.
Mold-Related Symptoms That Often Appear Alongside Fatigue
There are some other symptoms that occur alongside tiredness when you’re exposed to mold spores for a long time. Some of them are;
Persistent Headache: One of the symptoms people experience alongside tiredness is frequent headaches. If you have a stuffy nose or have difficulty breathing, the extra effort your body puts in the respiratory system will add pressure to the area around your forehead and eyes which will end up giving you a headache. Even the slightest headache can make concentration more difficult and leave you feeling mentally drained whether you did a tedious job or not.
Coughing and Sneezing: When irritants pass through or get stocked in the throat or upper airways, your body tries to get rid of them through sneezing and coughing. If you’re constantly exposed to mold, you’ll notice that your body is never at ease because it is constantly triggering the sneezing and coughing so as to clear the airways.
Brain Fog and Difficulty Concentrating: People that live in damp environments always complain of a kind of mental fatigue that is somehow different from normal tiredness. They may just notice that they’re unable to concentrate for long, process information properly or stay mentally alert throughout the day.
While several other factors can contribute to the energy drain you’re experiencing, poor indoor air quality or mold spores can trigger it as well. And the issue can be compounded when you start experiencing headaches, nasal congestion, brain fog, coughing and sneezing.
Signs That Mold in Your Home May Be Affecting Your Health
We’ve seen the major symptoms of mold presence in a room, but it is not always easy to tell whether these symptoms are directly linked to mold or if there’s something else causing them. Let’s look at some of the patterns to take note of if you want to be sure that mold is the cause of the constant tiredness or energy drain you’re experiencing.
Symptoms Improve As Soon As You Leave The Power House: If you notice that you always feel better when you leave the house, when you’re at work or when you travel somewhere faraway, then it is a sign that your tiredness is coming from the mold contaminated air in your house.
Persistent Musty Smell: Musty smell is one of the major signs that there’s dampness or mold growth in a house. Even if you’re not visibly seeing the black patches of mold growth, as long as you perceive smells that feel like wet cardboard or old fabric, you can be rest assured that mold is growing somewhere in the house. Sometimes, you may not notice a strong musty smell in the entire room. The smell might be stronger in some places like behind furniture, beneath flooring or inside wall cavities. Regardless of where it’s coming from, a persistent musty smell is a sure sign there’s mold in the house.
Visible Mold or Damp Patches: Black patches are the easiest sign that shows that there’s mold activity in a house. Although mold colony is not always black or dark, it can appear in other colors like grey, green or even dark brown depending on the type of mold and the surface in which it is growing.
How To Check If Mold Is The Cause Of Your Fatigue
If you think that mold is responsible for your health issues, do not panic, instead, take your time to observe the symptoms and look out for some of the practical signs of mold presence discussed above.
Observe Patterns: Pay attention to the where’s and when’s of symptoms appearance. Check if the symptoms like fatigue or headache are worse when you enter certain rooms in your house. Also pay attention to how you feel at different times of the day; compare the morning feeling with the rest of your day. It’s a good idea to also observe whether your health improves whenever you leave the house. All these signs and patterns can help you ascertain whether the indoor air condition is affecting your health.
Check for Moisture Source: Mold cannot grow without moisture so it’ll be wise to look at areas where water may be accumulating. Check your windows for signs of condensation, observe the walls if they’re wet and look under sink or other water carrying pipes to see if there’s a slow leak. If you get the source of moisture, it’ll be easier to put an end to mold problems.
Measure Indoor Humidity: It’s not possible to talk about mold growth without discussing humidity. Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air inside your room and it can be measured with a device called hygrometer. If you notice that the humidity in your room is high, then you can know that it’s more likely to be the cause of mold growth but if the humidity level is normal, then you can try other causes to know where the problem is coming from.
Consider Professional Mold Testing: If you’ve done all you could and you’re not able to determine the source of mold or the symptoms of mold presence like fatigue and headache remains persistent, then it’s advisable to get help from a professional. A mold specialist or mold inspector can help you test and identify the source and causes of mold presence in your home while a mold remediator is in charge of safely removing mold contamination in buildings.
Simple Ways To Reduce Mold and Improve Indoor Air Quality
Reduce Indoor Humidity and Increase Ventilation: One of the easiest ways to reduce dampness or humidity in a house is by ensuring all the windows are opened. Although it’s possible to still experience humid air when windows are opened… opening them increases your chances of breathing in fresh air. If windows are opened, the quality of air improves, then humidity and all other conditions that enhance mold growth may start reducing. Other small habits like adequately covering pots when cooking can reduce the level of humidity in a house.
Fix Leaks and Damp Areas: If the moisture feeding the mold is found to come from leaking pipes then you should not waste time in getting a plumber to replace leaking pipes and joints. Also, if the moisture is coming from the roof, get it fixed immediately to halt dampness and mold growth.
Use Dehumidifier: Some homes and climates are humid most of the year and in these situations the best thing you can do is get a dehumidifier. This device will suck up all the moisture content in the air and improve the quality of air in the apartment. As long as you’re able to keep humidity under control it’ll be much easier to keep mold growth under check.
So if we’re to answer the question about the effect of mold and the possibility of it causing tiredness, the answer would still be YES, mold spores can make you sick. There’s a strong connection between mold growth and feeling tired, and the link even extends to other symptoms like persistent headache and breathing difficulty. So next time you experience these symptoms, look out for the possible causes and if you can’t spot it, call a mold specialist.
