Between coughing, sneezing, watery eyes and a common blah feeling, allergy symptoms are an unwelcome and unlucky facet impact of the summer season blooms round us. For some folks, day by day tablets or nasal sprays assist curtail signs, however for others, it may really feel unattainable to discover a concoction that truly works.
Should you’re somebody who appears like they’ve tried every little thing however nonetheless will get hit with pesky seasonal allergy symptoms all year long, right here’s a suggestion: Consultants say a nighttime bathe may be the lacking ingredient in an allergy remedy routine.
“It helps to wash all of the invisible pollen grains from your body so they can stop causing your allergic reactions,” Ian Budd, a pharmacist on the U.Ok.-based Chemist 4 U, instructed HuffPost by way of electronic mail.
“For allergy sufferers, going to sleep with the pollen that has coated the hair, skin and respiratory tract can mean longer exposure to what you are allergic to ― even when you’re no longer outdoors,” mentioned Dr. Monica Kraft, an allergist and immunologist on the Ohio State College Wexner Medical Heart. “Showering can help remove the pollen and let [mucus] drain.” (It’s nicely established that the new steam from a bathe can loosen up mucus.)
What’s extra, showering can maintain your sheets clear by limiting the quantity of pollen that you simply switch to your mattress.
“But on top of that, it’s going to minimize a lot of your nighttime symptoms, too, because a lot of our patients complain of allergy symptoms throughout the night,” mentioned Dr. Mas Takashima, the chair of the division of otolaryngology at Houston Methodist in Texas. That features assuaging nighttime congestion, which in any other case prevents you from getting the sleep you want.
Moreover, “you should consider washing your hair more regularly too. Pollen can cling to your hair quite easily, and as it is so close to your face, it’s only natural that pollen in your hair could contribute to your symptoms,” Budd defined.
Washing your hair day by day isn’t an choice for everybody, although. If that’s you, Budd mentioned you possibly can put on a bonnet at evening to maintain the pollen in your hair away out of your face and off of your pillow.
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On high of showering, “regularly cleaning your bedding ― especially down in the South, dust mites are very prevalent in moist, humid environments,” Takashima mentioned.
It’s additionally a good suggestion to have a HEPA filter in your bed room to assist cut back allergens within the air, he mentioned.
“I think we all tend to forget that we spend seven, eight hours in our bedrooms. And so if that’s the case, why not try to make that into an area where it’s where you’re prone to be less allergenic?” Takashima mentioned.
Much more, showering as quickly as you get inside might help you are feeling higher.
In response to Budd, “although showering before bed can help combat hay fever, showering as soon as you get home can prove even more effective. If your symptoms are particularly troublesome, we would recommend getting straight into the shower and changing your clothes as soon as you get indoors.”
Should you do that, not solely will you be washing off the pollen, you’ll even be lessening the quantity of pollen you convey into your private home, he mentioned.
Different Ideas If Allergy Season Is Additional Brutal For You This 12 months
“If you feel like your allergy season is lasting longer than before, you are probably right,” Kraft mentioned. “Weather changes, climate change and fewer deep frosts mean that plants are blooming and pollinating earlier in the spring and lasting longer into the summer and there are higher pollen counts during the peak season.”
To assist fight unhealthy seasonal allergy symptoms, Kraft really useful that you simply begin taking allergy medicines as a preventative measure early within the season. So, in case you usually have allergy symptoms beginning in July, you must begin taking your medicine a number of weeks earlier than so the medicine has time to construct up in your system.
When you’re in your allergy season, nasal saline irrigations can even make it easier to flush out allergens, Takashima mentioned. “If you wear sunglasses, or if you wear a hat, it can decrease how much pollen gets into your hair and your eyes.”
Moreover, needless to say peak pollen time is usually “in the early morning and late afternoon timeframes,” Takashima famous. This will likely imply staying inside throughout these instances in case you’re having a very unhealthy allergy day.
There are additionally many over-the-counter medicines, nasal sprays and in-office allergy therapies out there. Join with a doctor for the perfect highway map for you.
“Talking to your doctor about an allergy treatment plan can make the pollen seasons more tolerable,” Kraft mentioned.
