If you have allergies, you already know how stressful they can be. Being forced to stay inside and having to miss fun outdoor activities can be depressing. If you want some great ideas about how to maximize your own experience while dealing with allergies, keep reading.
If you purchase any type of antihistamine for allergy purposes, be sure that you test it first. This type of medication can cause drowsiness and slowed reflexes. It’s always a good idea to try the medication out in a safe environment once or twice. Although the label may not include any dramatic warnings, you don’t want to find out that you react poorly to the medicine while you’re driving.
It’s quite tempting to pop your house’s windows open for a little cheap, all-natural ventilation when the weather outside is right. This process does carry the risk of increased allergy attacks, though. Air conditioners with HEPA filters will help remove allergens from indoor air. The air may not seem as fresh, but the lower level of allergens should help you breathe much easier.
If you can avoid it, don’t use carpeting or rugs in your home. Carpet is very hard to clean and the fibers inside the carpet hold onto mites, dusts, pollen, dander and other particles that could irritate allergy sufferers. Try to install flooring that be swept and mopped.
People are susceptible to different allergens at different points in their life. One example of this principle is that babies are more likely to have food allergies because they have only recently been exposed to food proteins. As your children grow they can be exposed to a lot of different protein allergies and become allergic to pollen. If your child starts exhibiting allergy symptoms, such as sneezing or watery eyes, do not rule out allergies simply because your child had not previously seemed allergic to pollen.
While tests can be performed that identify what you are allergic to, no one can predict how severe your reactions will be. A skin test may only show you have an allergy to a specific spore. You could suffer from a mild allergic reaction and not notice it.
Pollen Levels
When exercising outdoors during peak pollen levels, be sure to do so extremely early or extremely late in the day. You will be more comfortable at those times of day, since pollen levels are lower.
Olive trees are quite popular as a landscape tree. But there’s one big problem with these trees: They produce an abundance of pollen, and they produce it essentially the entire year. Never plant this particular tree if you have allergies, and it also helps if you can spot this tree to avoid it. Many folks reduce the pollen in their environment by running a hose on the problem tree for several minutes each day.
Keep your windows closed during the height of allergy season so that outdoor allergens can’t get inside. Opening the windows allows pollen to enter your house, causing your allergies to flare up. If you want to keep allergens out of your home, be sure your air conditioner vents and filters are clean.
Make sure your car is closed and clean to fight allergies. If you run the air conditioner and consciously keep vents closed, you will be able to keep allergens such as pollen out of the vehicle. Also, vacuum regularly to keep the upholstery free from anything that might accumulate there. This should significantly reduce your allergy symptoms.
If you have allergies, you need to work on eliminating triggers from your daily life. Get rid of dust if it is bugging you and making your allergies flare. If your pets are making you sneeze, keep them bathed and groomed all the time. Dusting and vacuuming are also very important to minimize the effects of pet dander.
During allergy season, style your hair without using sprays, gels or creams. It’s inevitable that you’ll come home after a day spent outdoors with pollen and other airborne allergens stuck to your hair. However, these particular products attract pollen and can attract allergens to your tresses.
The information above is just what you need to get the most out of life even with allergies. Allergies can just throw a monkey wrench in your day to day life. Make sure that you’re doing whatever you can to avoid allergens, and that definitely includes implementing these tips.