I have been a chronic hay fever sufferer since I was little and I suffer terribly during the summer. Sometimes my eyes are so swollen I can barely see and I can’t breathe through my nose without the help of a nasal spray for months on end. It’s such a common allergy so we’re going to look at some ways of how to deal with hay fever and some tips for managing hay fever symptoms.
Hay fever is one of the most common allergies and so many people suffer with it to some extent at some point throughout the year. I suffer pretty badly, so I need to take a lot of precautions every year to ensure my whole Spring and Summer isn’t ruined from it.
Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, typically when it comes into contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Symptoms typically include:
- Sneezing
- Blocked nose or snotty nose
- Itchy eyes, ears or throat
- Swollen and watery eyes
- Sinus pressure or headaches
- Feeling tired
Conditions such as asthma and eczema can also flare up and get worse when hay fever season hits, so you might find that those conditions get worse at the same time and you get severe hay fever symptoms.
How long does hay fever last? Hay fever can typically be present any time between March and October; it depends on which pollen you’re allergic to, as different pollen is present at different times of year. Based on a pollen calendar, if you experience hay fever earlier on in the year, this means that you’re allergic to tree pollen.
Grass pollen is the longest running pollen season, lasting all the way until September. And weed pollen season is usually the last pollen season of the year. You might want to know how to stop hay fever immediately but I’m afraid there’s no ultimate cure or quick-fix.
So whether you need to lock yourself away in a room with no windows and no way for pollen to get in for 3 months out of the year or whether you have the sneezes every once in a while, here are some tips for managing hay fever symptoms to make your summer a little less… snotty.
Tips for managing hay fever symptoms:
Steam your face to relieve sinus headaches
Sinus headaches can be common with hay fever, due to feeling so blocked and they’re really uncomfortable headaches to have. If you have the means to do so, buying a facial steamer can really help relieve that pressure.
If you can’t, then simply use a bowl of boiling water and place a towel over your head so you’re able to safely breathe in the steam. One year, I had a week long sinus headache due to hay fever – it was awful!
Related Read: How I Deal With Headaches
Take a hay fever tablet every single day
One of the most obviously tips on managing hay fever symptoms is of course, to take medication. And ensure you’re taking it every day, so you build up that immunity.
Ideally, you should be taking your tablets BEOFRE your hay fever symptoms start. So if you know you tend to start suffering around April, then starting your medication in February will help your body build up immunity.
Although I’ve never found tablets to take away the symptoms of hay fever completely, they do take the edge of. And always seek advice from your GP if you’re really struggling.
Shut your windows
Although it’s probably the last thing you want to do when it’s hot in the Summer, shutting your windows can help keep the pollen out and the pollen levels lower in your room or house. If there are alternative ways to keep cool, you should try and find them because this makes a big difference!
My boyfriend and I suffer terribly with hay fever so this has been one of the best tips for managing hay fever symptoms that has worked for us.
Tips for managing hay fever symptoms continued:
Wash your hair more regularly
Pollen can really get stuck to your hair. Even just a quick walk around the park or from sitting in the garden for 10 minutes can allow it to settle in and stay there! So if you’re able try and up the amount that you wash your hair in the Summer.
And if you’ve been somewhere particularly grassy for the day or surrounded by trees and flowers, definitely wash it when you get home! You might want to follow some addition hair self care tips as well.
If you’re struggling to stay cool in the Summer this is also a great way to keep your body temperature down too, so it’s a double win!
Use eye drops and nasal spray
Along with medication, you might need additional things to help you deal with hay fever. Two things I find really helpful every single year are eye drops and nasal spray.
Eye drops can help relieve the itchiness that hay fever causes and nasal spray can help clear your airways and give your nasal passage a protective barrier from the pollen.
I use the Thealoz products for Dry Eye Disease and also to relieve some of the symptoms of hay fever and I would highly recommend these products; there’s a huge range and they’re excellent. But of course, as always, check with your GP to ensure these items are safe for you to use.
Check the pollen levels daily
And finally, check the pollen daily before you leave the house.
If you are leaving the house so you know whether you’re going to need to take extra “stuff” to manage during the day (tissues, eye drops etc.). The BBC Weather app includes a ‘low’, ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ pollen count daily in the summer!
For medical advice on hay fever, check out the NHS website here.
Hay fever can be really tough and hard to manage. It sounds like a pretty mild allergy to have – especially when you say “I’m allergic to flowers!” like how bad can it be, right? – but it can be REALLY difficult and uncomfortable when you have bad hay fever symptoms. It really can ruin your day.
So if you’re really suffering from hay fever, do whatever you can and whatever you need to manage your symptoms and help make you more comfortable. Continue to follow self care advice as well, as to not let it bring you down, too.
Are you a hay fever sufferer? What do you do to combat your annoying symptoms? Any other tips? Let us knowAre you a hay fever sufferer? What other tips for managing hay fever symptoms do you have to add to this list? Let me know!
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