Each year, over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies. That makes allergies the sixth commonest chronic disease in the country.
Spring is particularly cruel for people with allergies. The awful allergies are the result of the season’s weather conditions, including snow and rain that cause grass and tree pollen to flourish in many parts of the country. The wintry weather suddenly shifts to warm and causes the pollen’s release, which is then spread everywhere by the windy conditions.
Airborne pollen and other particles can trigger allergies, with sneezing, congestion, headaches, and diarrhea among the common symptoms
Thankfully, dealing with allergies and their triggers is easier than most people imagine. In today’s article, we outline seven actionable tips on how to reduce your allergies and live a healthy life, regardless of the season.
1. Recognize the Symptoms
The first important step in managing allergies is to know how to tell whether what you’re experiencing is allergies or something else. The shift from cold to warm weather happens suddenly, and it’s difficult to differentiate between an allergic reaction and a cold or virus. This is especially the case for people who don’t usually suffer from seasonal allergies.
So how do you know that it’s an allergic reaction? Seasonal allergies typically affect the nose, sinuses, eyes, and mouth. However, not everyone experiences all the symptoms.
If the roof of your mouth suddenly gets itchy and your eyes become red and watery, you probably have allergies. Other symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, and sinus pain and congestion. If these symptoms go beyond two weeks, it’s a strong sign that you may have allergies.
Where the symptoms above are accompanied by fever and aches, chances are what you have is a cold or some other virus. Either way, you’ll need to visit a doctor to find out for sure what you’re suffering from.
2. Visit the Drugstore for Symptom Relief
A common mistake people with allergy symptoms make is to ignore them, hoping the symptoms will go away on their own. If you wait until the symptoms have developed fully before starting medication, you’ll only be chasing the problem instead of preventing it.
Thankfully, there’s a large variety of effective medications for allergy symptoms. The newer antihistamine drugs are generally considered effective. You can purchase these over-the-counter (OTC).
Among the most popular anti-allergy drugs include loratadine, cetirizine, and diphenhydramine. Note that diphenhydramine can have a sedating effect, so don’t take it before driving.
If OTC medications don’t seem effective for you, schedule an appointment with an allergy specialist.
3. Stay Consistent When Taking Medication
For antihistamine medication to work effectively, you need to take it at a consistent time every day. For most people with both asthma and seasonal allergies, that should be before bedtime. Be sure to continue medication for the rest of the season.
Next year, start taking antihistamines at least a week before the pollen season starts. When spring finally arrives, you’ll be safe.
4. Avoid Dragging Allergens Into Your Home
After a long day spent outdoors, leave your shoes outside and change your clothes into something else when you get home. This way, you avoid spreading allergens throughout your house, which would only make your symptoms act up even more.
Take a shower to remove any lingering pollen from your hair and body. If you have pets, consider wiping their fur and paws when they enter the house to remove any allergens clinging to them.
5. Ensure Your Dehumidifier Is Working Well
One of the surest tips on how to deal with allergies is to use an air humidifier. During the winter, you tend to keep your heating system cranked up to keep your living space warm and comfortable. But doing so can dry out your indoor air significantly.
Dry indoor air can lead to allergic reactions, including sinus issues. For some people, the mucous in the nasal cavities dry out as a result of breathing dry air. They become more vulnerable to respiratory infections.
An air humidifier improves your indoor air quality by misting it with water. This makes the air more breathable and alleviates symptoms of allergy.
But while the humidifier does a wonderful job keeping your air breathable, you should use it carefully, so the humidity doesn’t exceed appropriate levels. Humidity levels above 50 percent can encourage mold growth, which would only worsen your allergies.
6. Watch Your Crawl Space
Up to half of all your indoor air travels up from the crawl space. Typically, this air has higher humidity levels than the air inside your house.
If the air from your crawl space is excessively humid, then you may soon have to deal with mold-spores, immunity-compromising bacteria, and dust mites.
The best way to ensure that the air getting into your house from the crawl space is healthy is by using a top-quality crawl space dehumidifier. A dehumidifier not only reduces excessive moisture in the air but also keeps dust mites away. It’s one of the best allergy prevention techniques out there.
7. Wear a Mask When Doing Outdoor Chores
Another sure tip for preventing allergies is to wear an anti-allergy mask when tending your yard or garden. This helps reduce your exposure to pollen grains.
Make sure that the mask you invest in is well-fitting. The mask should also meet the standards of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health by filtering out almost all particles.
Anti-allergy masks can also help when doing certain indoor chores such as cleaning. They help you avoid chemical fumes from the cleaning agent, as well as dust and other allergens.
Implement the Right Strategies for Dealing With Allergies This Spring
Dealing with allergies can be frustrating, particularly during the spring when allergens are everywhere. However, with the simple suggestions in this guide, you breathe easier all year round.
Are you interested in learning more about keeping your indoor air healthy and kicking out allergens? Please keep visiting our blog for featured articles.
