Tips On Surviving Through The Allergy Season

Posted by Arnold Yu April 23, 2010.

The sun is shining, flowers are blooming, spring has begun and everyone is looking forward to the coming beautiful weather. Everyone, that is, except for those that suffer from the dreaded hay fever. One out of every five Americans suffers from allergies, and this season is going to be tough one.

ABC news reported a “pollen explosion like most of the country has never seen." Thanks to a very long, cold winter and heavy rainfall all over the country, plant bloom and reproduction are in full tilt, causing almost record breaking amounts of pollen in the air. For the allergy sufferer, this means a runny/stuffy nose, itchy and watery eyes, and an itchy throat. For anyone with asthma, this is also bad news.

So what can one do about this? It’s not like you can tell the plants “Hey, stop blooming and making baby flowers right now!” Well here are a few tips to reducing those annoying, and sometimes debilitating, symptoms:

• Stay Indoors- a person is more likely to have an allergy attack if they are outside breathing in all of the pollen and other allergens in the air.
• For those who still suffer, even when taking shelter in your home, use air conditioning- The constant movement of air will help filter out some of those pesky allergens.
• Change your clothes when you come home from being outdoors- Allergens collect on your clothing throughout the day.
• Wash your hair before you go to bed-The same as with your clothes, allergens collect in your hair, and if you go to bed with all the day’s allergens in it you may have a hard time sleeping.
• Take your shoes off before entering the house or leave them by the front door-You don’t want to drag all of those allergens all through your house.
• Keep windows closed in the morning- Pollen levels are at their highest in the hours between 5 and 10 am.
• See your doctor- Find out which allergens cause the most irritation to you specifically. Your doctor can also prescribe the appropriate antihistamine or nasal spray.

Tips for allergy season