Excusing yourself from a conference room between the tenth and eleventh sneeze will probably result in some sympathy. Explaining to your mother-in-law that you need your own hotel room when you come for a visit probably won’t. Be strong. Turning down an invitation to sleep over isn’t easy, but when you take allergies or asthma on vacation, a clean room retreat comes right after “toothbrush” on the must-have list. Your goal is to create a place with the best possible conditions for holding off an allergic episode.

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Anaphylaxis is an immune system shutdown prompted by inhaling, eating, or touching an allergen. Initial symptoms may include tingling in the mouth and lips, flushing or blushing, a general feeling of warmth, itching, and the beginnings of a rash, welts, or hives. Symptoms then begin to build as the mouth, throat, gastrointestinal system, lungs, and other organs each encounter the allergen and react adversely.

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You can’t see dust mites, but they cause a world of misery for millions of people with allergies. Dust mite allergy is the most common year-round allergy in the world, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

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Hives, medically known as urticaria, are reddish swollen patches or welts on your skin. Most people who have hives inherited this chronic condition from their parents. In these cases, stress, hormonal changes, and some infections can trigger hives, but outbreaks may also appear now and then for no known reason.

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If you start wheezing when your dentist snaps on a pair of rubber gloves, you may be allergic to latex. As latex products become more common, the incidence of this allergy has skyrocketed in recent years.

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It’s 3:54 A.M. and you’re jolted awake, wheezing and coughing until a few puffs on your inhaler ease the tightness in your chest. Sound familiar? If you have nocturnal (or nighttime) asthma, you’re not alone: A University of Colorado study of nearly 8,000 people with asthma found that 39% were awakened by asthma symptoms at least once each night. About two-thirds reported having nighttime asthma episodes three times a week, and three-quarters had to reach for their inhalers about one night a week. In addition, the American Lung Association reports that asthma symptoms are often worse at night.

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If you have asthma, your doctor has probably recommended that you avoid the allergens and triggers that may lead to an episode. But what if you’re allergic to — work?

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If you’re allergic to pollen, you probably try to stay indoors in the morning when pollen counts are highest. But exactly how allergen-free is your home? Thanks to poor ventilation, dust-catching window shades or bedding, and certain household chemicals and cleaners, many indoor areas can be just as allergy-provoking as a morning walk at the height of hay fever season. Here’s a list of the most common indoor allergens, and what you can do to eliminate them from your home.

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For people living with asthma, avoiding triggers at work can be a real challenge. You don’t have much control over building construction, central air, or the chemicals used in office supplies — all of which can have a big impact on indoor air quality. But you can influence some office policies that affect your work environment.

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Before you take off on this year’s vacation, take time to prepare yourself for the trip. With a few phone calls and a bit of planning, you can pack some security into your bags along with everything else.

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