There are three types of pollen that cause hay fever. Some people are unfortunate enough to suffer allergies from all three, but typically it’s one of three that causes problems. Establishing which one you’re allergic to is the first step to beating it. The bad news is that the hay fever season generally lasts from late March right up until the end of September. The good news is that this is broken down into the different pollen seasons.
Pollen Seasons:
Tree Pollen – late March – mid-May
Grass Pollen – mid-May – July
Weed Pollen – late June – September
Prevent Pollen From Entering Your Home
Limiting the amount of pollen that comes into your home is a step towards keeping hay fever at bay.
Get changed: If you’ve been out and about pollen has probably latched onto your clothing. If you’re still sneezing and that runny nose just won’t stop, this is usually why. Get changed as soon as your home and wash that pollen away.
Dry clothes inside: Try drying clothes indoors to avoid pollen sticking to them. It puts you back to square one before you’ve even worn them outdoors.
Keep your hair rinsed: Pollen latches on to hair easily so keep it rinsed regularly to avoid unnecessarily carrying it around with you.
Keep windows and doors closed: This one is a little difficult if the weather is warm. There’s nothing nicer than opening those french doors and sleeping with the windows open to let in that cooling breeze. However, if you’re suffering from hay fever it makes more sense to invest in a fan or air con machine.
Try a New Tea
Swap your morning cuppa for a chamomile or nettle tea to help relieve symptoms. The antihistamine properties can set you up for a hay fever free day, or at least reduce symptoms.
Avoid Walking on Grass
If you have a grass pollen allergy, avoid walking and sitting on grass when you can. Try asking someone to help out with gardening, particularly lawn mowing over the Summer months.
Avoid Alcohol & Smoking
Alcohol is full of histamine and smoking will irritate with the lining of your lungs and make matters worse. In fact, you should avoid foods that are in histamine too such as berries and apples.
Keep a Hay Fever Diary
Noting down when you flare up will help you identify which types of pollen you’re allergic to and which activities make matters worse. Sometimes all hay fever seems to blur into one long period of suffering, but breaking it down can really help.
Use Vaseline
Try putting a small amount of vaseline under your nostrils to trap pollen before it has a chance to cause a flare up.
Invest in Pollen Filters
Consider installing pollen filters for the air vents in your car. You can also purchase a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter (High-efficiency particulate air filter).
If you constantly seem to have hay fever, even over the Winter months, you might not actually hay fever at all. Before making any assumptions speak to your doctor about the possibility of other allergies. Dust allergies are quite common and often go undiagnosed.