Sneezing, red eyes and endless fatigue? Spring allergies don’t have to be fatal! Mechanical removal of pollen from the body, modification of the home environment and monitoring of the pollen calendar can work wonders. Sometimes it is enough just to put the right obstacle in the path of the allergen.
Season of sneezing and red eyes
When spring nature blooms, for millions of allergy sufferers it unfortunately means the beginning of the season of sneezing, burning eyes and fatigue. If you don’t have antihistamines on hand, there are several mechanical and regimen measures that doctors recommend as a first line of defense. There is only one goal. Minimize the contact of the allergen with the mucous membrane and calm the irritated organism.
These procedures won’t guarantee you a spring completely free of colds and puffy eyes, but they can help you suffer less and not have to swallow pills by the handful. They can help you reduce the intensity of the allergic reaction or shorten the season. They are definitely worth a try.
Mechanical Purification: Rinse the enemy
The easiest and most effective way to relieve yourself is to physically remove the pollen from your body.
- Nasal rinses: Using a kettle of saline solution helps flush pollen grains out of the nasal mucosa and moisturizes it.
- Shower after coming home: Pollen sticks to hair and skin. An evening shower (especially washing your hair) will ensure that you do not carry allergens to your pillow and inhale them throughout the night.
- Eye wash: Washing your face with clean lukewarm water or using artificial tears, which dilute the allergens and wash them away, helps with burning eyes.
Does the thought of rinsing your nose make you cringe? Thanks to the saline solution, your nasal mucosa will not burn. Using the kettle is extremely easy and literally even a small child can handle it. As in the post from the YouTube channel Rhino Horn – Somamed AS.
Home as a safe fortress
Prevention starts where you spend the most time. Modifying your home environment can significantly reduce your pollen load.
- Proper ventilation: Ventilate in bursts, ideally after rain or at night, when the concentration of pollen in the air is lowest.
- Drying laundry inside: Forget the outdoors in season. Wet fabrics work as a perfect pollen catcher, which you then put on your body.
- More frequent wet cleaning: Instead of luxing, which can agitate fine particles, choose to dust with a damp cloth.
Sometimes you just need to put an obstacle in the way of the pollen. These come in handy when you head out.
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Sunglasses: Wide glasses act as a shield that mechanically prevents the impact of pollen grains directly on the conjunctiva of the eye.
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Protective ointments: Doctors sometimes recommend applying a thin layer of neutral ointment (eg petroleum jelly) to the edge of the nostrils. The ointment traps some of the pollen before it penetrates deeper into the nose.
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Headgear: A cap or hat will limit the amount of pollen that settles in your hair during your walk.
Regime measures and diet: Be alert
Even what you eat and how you behave affects the strength of your reaction.
- Follow the pollen calendar: Plan physical activity outside according to the current situation. The situation is worst in dry and windy weather.
- Limit irritants: At the time of the strongest allergy, avoid strong perfumes, cigarette smoke or aggressive cleaning products, which irritate already tested mucous membranes even more.
- Beware of cross allergies: Certain foods (e.g. apples for birch allergy sufferers) can worsen symptoms. If you feel an itch in your mouth after eating, better avoid the fruit in season. Your allergist can help you decide which foods to avoid.
Remember that these tips are not a substitute for professional treatment for severe conditions, but first help and prevention work reliably. Sometimes even such a small thing as changing clothes after returning from outside can save a good night’s sleep.
