Seasonal allergies occur when your body overreacts to something in the environment, most often during the times of year when various plants pollinate.
But how can you know that stuffy nose or runny eyes are allergies and not a cold or Covid-19? There is a lot of overlap in symptoms, and yet there are differences to watch for as well. Colds, respiratory infections and allergies all cause a runny or stuffy nose, but itchy and watery eyes are more specific to allergies than a respiratory infection. A fever is also a signal of a sinus or respiratory infection, because it is very unusual to have a fever with seasonal allergies.
Timing has much to do with it. As the name implies, seasonal allergies strike specifically in the spring, summer or fall, and respiratory infections often occur in the cold months. And seasonal allergies are perennial, hitting at the same time of year for most people.
Here are some tips to limit and treat your seasonal allergies.
Limit your exposure to triggers
The symptoms of seasonal allergies flare up when there is a lot of pollen in the air. Check your local TV, radio station or newspaper to find the current pollen level and forecasts and, if high pollen counts are forecasted, you may want to start taking allergy medications before symptoms even start.
Close your windows and screen doors at night to limit the pollen that can enter your house and stay indoors, if possible, on dry and windy days. The best time to be outside is after it has rained, which helps clear pollen from the air.
Some people have experienced relief from allergies because they began wearing a mask or facial covering due to Covid-19. Some of the common allergen particles are too big to fit through the mask fibers, and so it helps to wear a mask while doing outside chores like mowing the lawn or pulling weeds and gardening.
Pollen sticks to fibers, so don’t hang laundry outside to dry. And the pollen on clothing or your skin can transfer to bedding and furniture, so after being outside it is a good idea to change and wash your clothes and shower to rinse the pollen from your skin and hair.
Keep indoor air clean
It is very difficult to avoid indoor allergens, but there are strategies to alleviate them. Dust or dust mite allergies thrive in humid conditions, so use the air conditioning in your home and keep indoor air dry by using a dehumidifier. If you have forced heat or air conditioning, use high-efficiency filters and maintain them regularly. When dust mites occur in the home, it can be difficult to manage because they live in fabric, bedsheets and pillow cases; the best remedy is to make sure clothing and bedding are washed regularly.
For pet dander, the only way to completely alleviate the dander is to remove the pet – which of course is not what most pet owners want to do! Instead, keep your house as clean as possible by vacuuming floors and upholstery as much as you can.
Over-the-counter treatments
Several over-the-counter therapies can lessen the aggravation of seasonal allergies.
Oral antihistamines (like Zyrtec, Allegra or Claritin) help relieve sneezing, itching, a stuffy or runny nose and watery eyes.
Oral decongestants (like Sudafed) can provide temporary relief from nasal stuffiness. Check with your doctor before using these kinds of medications if you have a history of high blood pressure.
Some allergy medications (like Zyrtec-D 12 Hour, Allegra-D 12 Hour Allergy and Congestion and Claritin-D) combine an antihistamine with a decongestant. Talk to your health care provider about the right use of antihistamines and decongestants to treat your allergy symptoms.
Corticosteroid nasal sprays (like Flonase Allergy Relief, Rhinocort Allergy and Nasacort Allergy 24 Hour) improve nasal symptoms, but be sure to talk to your doctor before any long-term use of corticosteroid nasal sprays.
Antihistamine eyedrops (like Pataday) can help relieve itchy and red eyes.
Try a home remedy
Home remedies like rinsing your nasal passages or eye areas with a saline solution are an inexpensive and often effective way to relieve nasal congestion. You can combine these home remedies with over-the-counter medications to lessen the symptoms.
For the pollen allergen specifically, it can be helpful to use a sterile saline solution on the nose and eyes after being outside to help to wash away the pollen. There are saline solution kits for purchase in many drugstores or you can make a home-made solution using one quart bottled water (use bottled water rather than tap water to reduce the risk of infection), 1.5 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda.
When over-the-counter medications aren’t enough
For many people, avoiding triggers and taking over-the-counter medications do not completely ease symptoms. If your symptoms do not respond to the medication in a few days or weeks, it is time to see your primary care doctor.
Allergies tend to be associated with other conditions like asthma and eczema and a treatment plan with your doctor can prevent additional symptoms. Your doctor may recommend a skin or blood test to confirm exactly what you are allergic to and help create a more specific plan to avoid those allergens and treat your symptoms.