Achoo! Allergy Season is Here

Spring is here—with its lush grass, swaying trees, and a rainbow of fragrant blossoms—and along with it, for some, the ultimate buzzkill: watery eyes, an itchy nose, and sneezing fits that feel strong enough to shift the jet stream. Allergies can do a number on your enjoyment of the season, but there’s plenty you can do to ease your symptoms:

TIP #1: Clean out your nose: Using warm, sterile salt water to rinse nasal passages can help to ease allergy symptoms. An easy way to do this is by using a neti pot, where you pour the solution into one nostril with your head titled over the sink, allowing the water to flow out the other nostril.

TIP #2: Up the A/C: Keep windows closed at home and in the car, and turn on the air conditioning instead.

TIP #3: Wash up: After you’ve been outdoors, wash your hands and face, and change your clothes. Before bed, shower and wash your hair to keep allergens out of your bed. Be sure to wash your bedding in hot, soapy water at least once a week.

TIP #4: Time your exercise: Avoid exercising outdoors on dry, warm, windy days.

TIP #5: Be a clean machine: Use an air purifier with a HEPA filter to trap allergens at home. In addition, because pollen is heavy and falls to the floor quickly, you should also vacuum (try a HEPA filter-equipped vacuum) and dust often to minimize pollen on the floor.

TIP #6: Pollen Tracking: The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology collects information from hundreds of tracking stations around the country that can provide recent information on pollen counts from trees, weeds, grass and mold. Click here for more information.