Discover Regina’s top 10 strategies for combating hay fever and seasonal allergies. Learn practical tips to minimise your symptoms here.
The sun is shining. Birds are chirping. Plants are blooming. And… your nose is running? Welcome to the irritating world of Hay Fever.
What are the symptoms of hay fever? Well, when the sun’s out and you find yourself dealing with a constant snot stream, watery eyes, or an itchy throat – it’s probably not going to be a cold. You’ve found yourself an allergy.
What is hay fever? Despite being similar to your common cold, hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. And in our article “Hay Fever Relief: 10 Ways to Reduce Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies” we’re going to help you put it back in its place.
Whether you opt for hay fever medicine, natural remedies, or slight lifestyle adjustments – this article will bring you relief from hay fever so you can get out and about this pollen season.
1) Monitor Local Pollen Counts
If you’re a sufferer, the best hay fever relief to limit the presence of pollen is simple. Track your local pollen levels and plan ahead. Yep, it’s a thing. Think of it as the pollen equivalent to checking the weather, something you can adjust your outdoor activities around. You can even download apps like ‘My Pollen Forecast UK’ to track forecasts and keep a diary of your symptoms throughout the seasons.
Tree pollen typically arrives from late March to mid-May, grass pollen from mid-May to July, and weed pollen sticks around from the end of June to September time. Knowing what’s producing pollen, when, and how high the levels are in your local area is the most straightforward action you can take to avoid severe hay fever symptoms.
2) Allergy-Proof Your Home
Room by room, you can take simple allergy relief steps. From the way you wash your bedsheets and open your windows to the use of air filters and purifiers.
Encasing your bedding in dust-mite-proof covers and washing or replacing pillowcases, blankets, and sheets once a week in water heated to at least 54 C is an easy way to keep your bedroom livable.
Is hay fever an allergy? The simple answer is yes. Keeping windows closed during pollen season and relying on air conditioning or fans where possible will reduce the chance of pollen dust creeping in.
And finally, one of the best ways to improve your air quality is with air cleaners that are certified asthma & allergy friendly. These filters can sift almost 98% of allergen particles in the air and really help control your home’s air quality.
3) Natural Remedies
Natural hay fever relief is becoming a more popular method of treating symptoms and the most common is essential oil steaming. Filling your sink with hot, steamy water coupled with eucalyptus or lavender oil is one of the most effective ways to relieve a blocked nose or congestion – just hover above and breathe in the surrounding steam.
A specific remedy for hay fever is herbal tea. Something hot and spicy usually does the trick, with ginger and turmeric leading the way. But other individual ingredients such as butterbur, peppermint, nettle, chamomile, or quercetin individually or as a combination can also help sooth your system.
4)Over-the-counter medications
What can I take for hay fever? Sometimes you’ll feel you need a little boost in kicking hay fever from your daily routine and you can talk to your doctor or local pharmacist for specific recommendations on the best way to go. Most people will be familiar with using hay fever tablets such as antihistamines to starve off symptoms. These are effective, but sometimes cause drowsiness – making it difficult to be alert and on the go.
Alternative hay fever products and decongestants such as oils or steroid nasal sprays could help. Hay fever relief nasal spray is most effective if used 1 to 2 weeks before you think your hay fever symptoms will arrive and can relieve blocked or runny noses and inflammation instantly.
5)Protective Accessories
Rather than losing out on a day in the sunshine, making small adjustments to the outfits you wear during high pollen seasons can protect you from hay fever, especially when you’re after relief for hay fever eyes.
Wearing wraparound sunglasses will bring hay fever eye relief by keeping pollen from breaching. And wearing a hat with a large brim will keep pollen from landing on your face, reducing some of your symptoms throughout the coming days and months.
6) Hydration
Drinking clean, fresh water is essential for maintaining the health of all your body’s systems and organs. We all kind of know that, but why does water help allergic reactions? For starters, regular sipping and hydration helps to thin mucus caught in your nasal passages and keep your sinuses clear.
But it can also help prevent histamine production and the symptoms that come with it. To put it lightly, routine sips of water make you better equipped to handle any allergens.
7) Grooming Pets Regularly
So far, we’ve spoken a lot about your lifestyle and the individual changes you can make to help ease symptoms. But a consistent routine of pet grooming can also help combat hay fever.
Brushing and bathing your pet helps remove any pollen that has gathered in its fur. Meanwhile wiping paws before your pet comes back into the house after being outside will also prevent any unwanted allergens being traipsed around.
8) Keep Windows Closed
Despite touching on it earlier, keeping windows closed is in the list for a second time. And that’s because of its simplicity and importance in limiting pollen infiltration. If you’ve paid attention so far, you’ll know the significance of monitoring your local pollen count when identifying the best times to head out, but it’s also key in knowing when to open your windows for ventilation and when to keep them closed. While it’s hot and sunny, the urge to open windows is always there. But pulling your blinds or closing your curtains to make rooms cooler is a better way to maintain levels of dust, dirt and dander.
9) Stress Management
Research shows a clear link between stress and the severity of hay fever symptoms. Hay fever sufferers are more likely to rate their symptoms as unbearable or debilitating if their stress levels are high, and as those stress levels drop – so do symptoms.
We know it’s easier said than done to reduce these levels, but as a starter for ten, the same research also found regular exercise can improve the severity of hay fever symptoms. And in turn exercise will help reduce your stress levels too.
10) Showering after spending time outdoors
When pollen levels are high, it’s easy for dust to entwine in your hair, rest on your skin and settle on your clothing. One of the most frustrating things about pollen dust is you can’t necessarily see it, so it’s super important to change out of clothes and put them in the wash before pollen is able to drift around your home. Then, it’s best you shower after being outdoors for long periods of time to bring allergy and hay fever relief, washing off any powerful pollen and bringing itchy eye relief.
Fingers crossed this self-help article brings you hay fever and allergy relief when you need it this year.
But remember if you’re suffering with severe symptoms, your doctor or local pharmacist can provide specific recommendations based on what you’re experiencing to find your best form of treatment.
And if your symptoms come and go, just head back here for more inspiration on lifestyle changes, remedies and small tweaks to the way you live your life during high pollen seasons.