Surviving the hay fever season

Many of you may have noticed it is that time of year again… hay fever season. Itchy eyes, a running nose, and sneezing are probably what you are experiencing, and you are not alone, 1 in 4 people in the UK also suffer from hay fever. Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, that causes your nose, eyes, throat, and sinuses to become inflamed and irritated. People generally suffer from hay fever from March to November in the UK, when plants release their pollen. However, May to July tends to be the worse for sufferers as this is when grass pollen is released, the most common allergen.

Plus, you may seem to be suffering more this year, the nurse advisor for Allergy UK put this down to being ‘in the peak of a nice warm spell, with light winds - which is very favourable for moving pollen around – and having days of high pollen counts’ but doesn't believe lockdown and self-isolating to have made sufferers any more susceptible to pollen this year.

Nevertheless, with long evenings, family BBQs and pub gardens open again staying inside this summer seems an unfair ask.

So, what else can you do?

Protect yourself from the pollen by:

o Putting Vaseline around your nostrils to trap the pollen and prevent it from getting into your nose.

o Wearing wraparound sunglasses to stop the pollen from getting into your eyes, or a hat to stop the pollen from reaching your eyes.

o Showering and changing your clothes after you have been outside to wash the pollen off.

o Keeping windows and doors closed as much as possible. This may be hard especially during hot days if you need fresh air, it is best to open the windows during the day rather than the evening when the pollen count is usually higher.

o Vacuuming regularly and dusting with a damp cloth.

o Considering buying a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. This is a filter that will trap the allergens, so they are not released into the air via the vacuum exhaust.

Adapted from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hay-fever/?dm_i=3IW9,E2GC,2ZRV5F,1HCPP,1

Use medication:

o You can get medication from the pharmacy such as antihistamine tablets, drops, or nasal sprays. However, be careful as some antihistamines are sedative causing sleepiness which may affect your driving or work, you can ask your pharmacist about this. Antihistamines are best used before your symptoms worsen as they are more effective if already in your body when exposed to an allergen. Therefore, some people decide to take antihistamines at the beginning of the hay fever season each year before their symptoms develop.

o If antihistamines are not working a pharmacist may recommend a nasal steroid spray to reduce the inflammation in your nose, ask your GP or pharmacist about this.

o Eye drops can be used to soothe itchy and red eyes.

Keep an eye on the pollen count:

o The pollen count changes daily with the weather, with the pollen count, generally being higher on warm dry days and lower on cool wet days. The best way to keep track of this is to check the pollen forecast for an early warning.

Check out the Met Office weather warnings here.

This will tell you whether the pollen count in your area is very high (VH), high (H), moderate (M), low (L), or there is little trace (-). On the days above low, you may want to take a few more preventive measures as mentioned above, such as showering before and after being outside and wearing a hat or sunglasses.

The pollen count tends to be higher in the early mornings and the evenings no matter the weather, so you may want to try to go outside less during these times if possible.

As always exercising, looking after your diet, and getting your sleep will help, it will boost your immune system and give you a greater chance at being less affected.

o The NHS found that people who exercise the most have the mildest hay fever symptoms. You should be aiming to exercise at a moderate intensity, such as walking, for at least 150 minutes a week, you can look at my previous blog ‘stress and the heart’ for more advice on exercise. However, you should also consider the pollen count and try to exercise when the pollen count tends to be the lowest, generally late morning or afternoon. If you are still suffering you could stay inside to exercise at your local gym, swimming pool or attend an indoor class.

o The NHS survey also found that people who eat a healthy diet are less likely to get severe symptoms. You should aim to eat a varied diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, the well-known five a day, and stay hydrated. You could also consider including foods with anti-inflammatory properties such as:

- Olive oil.

- Tomatoes.

- Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards.

- Nuts like almonds and walnuts.

- Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines.

- Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges.

source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation

These foods can help reduce the inflammatory response to the allergen and make your symptoms less severe.

o A good night’s sleep tends to make hay fever symptoms milder. The NHS survey found that getting at least seven hours of sleep a night decreases your chance of severe symptoms to 1 in 8, compared to 1 in 5 for people who got just 5 hours or less of sleep a night.