Tips To Help Reduce Hay Fever

Tips To Help Reduce Hay Fever

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Its that time of year again, when the weather’s gorgeous and you’d love to be out in it and having fun, but the wheezes and the sneezes and the irritation of hay fever hit and can easily ruin your summer. From the mildest of sniffles to symptoms so bad it can feel like you have the flu, around one in five people suffer from hay fever, and relief can be desperately needed.

How to reduce hay fever.

Obviously, you can’t seal yourself inside a sterile plastic bubble once summer comes, but there are many ways you can help yourself:

1. You can buy non-drowsy antihistamines over the counter which should give you relief from your symptoms, however, don’t wait until you start sneezing to take them. The antihistamine builds up in your system and acts as a prevention if you take it early enough. Keep taking the dose until hay fever season is over as, if you stop, those sniffles will be back again. If an over the counter solution isn’t working, talk to your doctor about stronger, prescription-only antihistamines.
    
2. For best results, in addition to an antihistamine, use a steroid nasal spray to help keep your nose clear and reduce inflammation.
    
3. Taking an antihistamine will eventually stop your eyes from itching once the dose kicks in, but if you want almost instant relief, use eye drops too. Again, for both the nasal spray and the eye drops, use them before you need them, keep using them even when you’re not having any issues, and you may even prevent your symptoms altogether!
    
4. If you’re not keen on the idea of tablets and sprays, you can try homeopathic remedies which can be just as effective, and if you have a sweet tooth, there’s some evidence that a spoonful of honey once a day can help, due to the pollen in the honey which can encourage the body to create an immunity. Studies have also shown that acupuncture, or even self-hypnosis can help.
    
5. Several essential oils can help relieve the symptoms of hay fever. You can buy a ready-blended mix, specifically for hay fever or you can mix your own. Try Roman chamomile oil and blend it with lemon, lavender or eucalyptus. You could add a little of the blend to your bath, or gently massage the oil around your nose, temples and the back of your neck.
    
6. It’s best if you don’t have carpeting in your house if you suffer from allergies, as it traps dust and allergens. Wooden, vinyl or tiled flooring are much easier to keep clean and dust-free. However, if your house is carpeted, use a vacuum cleaner for allergy sufferers with HEPA filters designed to filter out allergens, such as pollen, pet dander and dust.
    
7. You may also have an allergy to dust and dust mites if you suffer from hay fever, so try using anti-allergy covers on your bed. Available for mattresses, duvets and pillows, these covers provide protection against dust and dust mites.
    
8. If you’ve been outside, wash your hair and change your clothes before you go to sleep, so your bed isn’t covered in the pollen you’ve picked up over the course of the day.
    
9. Pollen counts are at their highest at dawn and dusk so, if you dry your washing outside, avoid those times of day to reduce the amount of pollen brought in with your laundry.
    
10. Protect your eyes from pollen with a pair of wrap-around sunglasses.
     
11. If you have pets who regularly go outside, brush them and bathe them regularly to help remove any pollen, before it ends up in the atmosphere of your house. Try the FURminator which, according to its description, removes a pet’s loose undercoat and most of the allergens with it. An added bonus is that there will be less vacuuming for you and fewer clumps of pet hair everywhere, and according to the Humane Society of the United States, removing loose hair and dander can reduce the level of allergens in the air by as much as 85%. Definitely worth a try!

Finally, one major thing you can do which will not only help with your allergies but remove condensation, mould, and reduce your heating bill, too, is to fit a condensation control unit from EnviroVent. If you suffer from the double whammy of hay fever and asthma, these units are particularly beneficial. Hidden out of the way in the loft of your house, or with a discreet unit on the wall of your apartment, they work away quietly to remove musty odours, reduce condensation and provide fresh, filtered air into your home.

Without a ventilation unit, stale, allergen-ridden air can be trapped by the very features designed to improve our homes, such as double glazing and cavity wall insulation. Condensation can gather on the windows, which can cause dampness and lead to mould growth, and airborne mould spores can even be the trigger to cause your hay fever or asthma!

EnviroVent provide energy efficient units which bring in fresh air and filter it before you breathe it in, with a reduction in pollen being the clear benefit for allergy sufferers. Extra fresh air inputs can also be fitted around the house and, particularly, in the bedroom of an asthma or allergy sufferer which reduces the humidity and therefore the house dust mite population, which can also trigger allergies and asthma.

And on days when the pollen count is high, you can still get plenty of fresh air in and cool your home, without needing to open the windows.

Obviously, nothing in this article is intended to replace medical advice from your doctor, so do check with your GP on the best treatment for you.