Coping With Seasonal Allergies

When spring arrives, your thoughts naturally turn to outdoor activities, beautiful flowers, sunny days and lots of fresh air. However, if you have seasonal allergies, your life can be plagued with uncomfortable symptoms, especially during the spring season.

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People with seasonal allergies want to take part in outdoor spring and summer activities, but symptoms like sneezing, congestion, itching, and watery eyes makes being outdoors very uncomfortable. Spring is usually the worst time of year because pollen counts are at their peek when everything is growing and blooming. Trees kick off pollen season in the early spring, followed by grasses in late spring and early summer. Weed pollens which can also trigger allergy symptoms flourish in late summer. Depending on where you live, pollens flourish at different times of the year. Windy days are worse for hay fever sufferers than calm, sunny days. Wind can carry tiny grains of pollen more than 100 miles from their source.

Reduce Pollen Exposure

Allergy experts agree that reducing exposure to pollen is very important for seasonal allergy sufferers. Staying indoors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when pollen counts are generally higher, can help reduce symptoms. If possible, schedule errands and outdoor activities later in the day. If you go outside, take off your shoes before you enter the house, so you don’t track pollen indoors. If you have a pet that stays in the yard or goes outdoors, wipe off his hair before he comes back in. Pets can bring pollen indoors on their hair. When indoors, use a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter on your furnace and air conditioner. HEPA filters are made to reduce all types of indoor allergens.

Allergy Testing

If you’re not sure what triggers your allergy symptoms, you may want to consider allergy testing. If you don’t know what you’re allergic to, you might consider allergy testing Somerset County NJ. Most allergy physicians offer skin testing and blood testing to determine allergens. For seasonal allergies which are often triggered by pollen, skin testing is usually more accurate because it’s slightly more sensitive to allergic reactions. In a skin test, your doctor will insert a tiny bit of the allergen under your skin. If you’re allergic to that substance, a small bump and redness appear at that site within minutes. Blood testing detects antibodies to pollens, and it’s often used when people don’t tolerate skin testing well.