Just the mere mention of pollen season or seasonal allergies is enough to make many of us moan and groan. While the plants are beautiful that are flowering and growing ever greener, their lasting effects on people with seasonal allergies are not quite so pleasant.
Dealing with a constant sniffly nose, watery eyes, or a congestion headache is not fun. However, you do not have to simply suffer through these symptoms without an option to alleviate some of your discomfort. There are many ways to minimize your suffering during pollen season, and it starts before your allergies even start making you miserable!
Prepare Your Home
As pollen season ramps up, it is important to keep the air in your home as clean as possible. This starts with your filters. While it is always important to regularly replace your air conditioner and furnace filters, it is even more so during pollen season. Checking your filter once a month and replacing if needed really helps keep allergens to a minimum inside your home.
In addition to your filter, you might consider purchasing an air purifier as well. For those finer particles that filters can’t catch, an air purifier can help remove them from your home. These purifiers can even help remove mold spores along with pollen.
Check the Pollen Count
By knowing what the pollen count is in a particular area at any given time, you can make an informed decision on whether or not that day would be a good day to spend extended time outdoors. For example, while taking a nice walk through the park is normally very beneficial to a person’s physical and mental well-being, it is not quite so beneficial if that person is highly allergic to pollen, and the pollen count is extremely high that day. Many local resources can help you track the pollen count, but pollen.com is another great resource to do this as well.
Remove Allergens
If the pollen and allergens have already started to invade your home, here are a few ways to help remove them:
- Every week or so wash your sheets, pillowcases, and blankets in hot water.
- Keep your dogs or cats out of your bedroom. This is extra important because every time your pets go outside, they bring pollen back inside with them.
- Vacuum your house twice a week.
- Keep your windows shut when pollen levels are high in your area.
- After spending time outside, wash your hair and change your clothes to minimize the amount of pollen you bring inside your home.
Get Help
If your allergies are going crazy despite all of these precautions, do not be afraid to ask your doctor for advice. Don’t just remain miserable and allow your allergies to ruin your quality of life! Your doctor will have many suggestions that can help to alleviate your symptoms.
We at AllCare Medical Centers want to be that source to help you. We won’t want you to be miserable throughout pollen season. If you can’t control your allergies through home remedies, come see us. Our team would love to help you!
