Long hot days, smooth sandy beaches, cool drinks, and bronzed limbs. When we think of summer, these are often the images that come to mind.
However, for some, the season brings misery in the form of hayfever. Pollen, a fine powder that comes from plants, can cause an allergic reaction in some people when it comes in contact with their mouths, noses, eyes, or throats.
The condition affects up to one in 10 and is most prevalent from May to September, especially when the weather is warm, humid, and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest.
Sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, itchy, red or watery eyes, swollen eyelids, and loss of smell are some of the symptoms of hayfever. Others include a sore throat, pain around your temples and forehead, headache, earache, and feeling tired, according to the HSE.
If you have asthma and suffer from hayfever, you may also experience a tight feeling in your chest, shortness of breath, wheezing, or a cough.
The condition is commonest in young people and generally begins during the teenage years. Symptoms tend to worsen in the first two to three seasons after first being affected, then remain steady for the next 20 years.
Experts say that the prevalence of the condition declines as people get older, about one in six teenagers suffer from hayfever compared to about one in 12 people aged 30 years and over.
There is currently no cure for it and it cannot be prevented. However, there are a number of things you can do to ease your symptoms when the pollen count is high.
Managing hayfever symptoms
Learn about what triggers the condition. Generally, wind pollinated plants, such as grasses, trees, and nettles are responsible for causing hayfever due to the large amount of pollen they release into the atmosphere. Hot summer days can lead to high pollen counts.
It is a good idea to do your gardening on cold or dull days or immediately after or during rain. Grass flowers do not open on dull, wet days and rain washes pollen out of the atmosphere. The best time to garden is early in the morning. Pollen levels are low on cool, damp mornings especially when there is dew. Be aware of daily pollen counts, a count of 50 or more will usually result in hayfever symptoms. However, some may experience symptoms with counts as low as 10.
Apply Vaseline to the inside lining of your nose to trap pollen.
Wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes.
Shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash the pollen off.
Do not grow allergenic plants. Ask your garden centre for advice regarding this. Regular weeding is recommended to control potentially problematic plants.
Close bedroom windows at night and keep windows and doors shut as much as possible.
Vacuum often, ideally with a special HEPA filter (these can trap pollutants ) and dust surfaces with a damp cloth.
Avoid taking summer holidays in the heart of the countryside. Opt instead for coastal areas where the area tends to be more pollen-free.
During the hayfever season, try to take basic precautions such as not driving with the windows/air vents open.
Buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car.
Avoid town centres as much as possible because polluted air traps pollen. On hot days high pollen levels can last until the evening in cities.
Use a fan on sunny days rather than opening windows.
Do not keep fresh flowers in the house.
Try not to smoke or be around smoke. Smoking and breathing in other people's smoke will irritate the lining of your nose as well as your eyes, throat, and airways and may make your hayfever symptoms worse.
Avoid hanging clothes outside to dry – they can catch pollen.
Remember that furry pets can carry pollen indoors.
Try to stay away from parks or fields or anywhere with a lot of grass
Avoid unnecessary irritants such as chemical fumes
Shower and wash your hair before going to bed particularly if you have been out walking or gardening. Wash your hair and change your clothes. This will prevent you from carrying spores and pollen around the house.
Minimise clutter in your house because it will collect dust and pollens.
Splash your eyes with cold water regularly. This will help flush out pollen and soothe and cool your eyes.
Avoid foods which cause inflammation and and increase mucous production.
If you have a fringe, keep it off your face because pollen can get trapped in it.
Use a clothes dryer rather than hanging your bed sheets or duvet covers on the washing line.
Avoid going out after a thunderstorm because pollen levels are often high at this time.
Keep your grass cut short.
Taking cod liver oil daily may help hayfever sufferers because it reduces inflammation. Some experts say people should avoid alcohol, nicotine, chocolate, spices, coffee, and tea.
Aromatherapy oils such as euchalyptus or olbas can be used in a candle burner and may help while scented candles may improve the air quality.
Avoid mascara because pollen sticks to it.
Wear a hat to prevent pollen from collecting in your hair and then sprinkling down into the eyes and face.
Keep all surfaces, floors, and carpets as dust-free as possible
What treatments are available?
There are a number of over-the-counter treatments which can help manage hayfever. Your pharmacist or health shop staff will advise you about the most suitable. Your family doctor can prescribe medication if your symptoms are more severe.
• Antihistamines. These are commonly available and stop the release of the chemical histamine. They usually relieve symptoms of runny nose, itching, and sneezing.
• Decongestants. They help relieve congestion.
• Nasal sprays treat sneezing, itchy, runny noses and eyes as well as congestion and other hayfever symptoms.
Factors that increase your risk of getting hayfever
1. Family history. If one or both parents have allergies, it is much more likely that their children will have allergies. It is not unusual for several members of the same family to be affected.
2. Gender. Hayfever is more common among boys before adolescence. However, after puberty, females are more affected.
3. Exposure to secondhand smoke. This increases your risk of hayfever, especially if you were exposed to it during the early years of your life.
4. Location. Research carried out in Britain suggests that people living in towns and cities are twice as likely to suffer from the condition than those in the countryside even though pollen levels are far lower. Scientists believe the most likely cause is the nitrogen dioxide gases in car fumes and diesel particles. Cities tend to be hotter than country areas also so the pollen tends to stay airborne until later in the day.
5. The time of year. Hayfever is most prevalent in summer, usually from May until September.
