The Sun is shining, the flowers are blooming – and, if you’re like millions of other people around the world, you may be a sniffling, hacking, runny-eyed mess.
Globally, some 400 million people suffer from allergic rhinitis: a condition that occurs when the nasal passages are irritated by airborne allergens, including pollen. When this occurs seasonally, it’s called hay fever.
Some tips for coping with pollen and seasonal allergens are:
Avoid nasal decongestants
Not all nasal sprays are the same – and while many of us turn to decongestant sprays for relief from a blocked nose, this can backfire.
Decongestant sprays (which use ingredients like oxymetazoline, phenylephrine or xylometazoline) work by constricting the blood vessels, shrinking nasal tissue so you can breathe better. But with prolonged use – generally speaking, more than five days – blood vessels can become dependent on this effect and, when the drug isn’t applied, swell too much. That leads to even more congestion (“rebound congestion“) and, often, the unsuspecting patient starts using even more. There is even a danger of long-term damage and dependence.
Start your treatment before allergy season begins
Don’t wait until you feel symptoms to start using your nasal spray: starting a few weeks before the season begins has the best outcomes. In one trial, hay fever sufferers who started using intranasal corticosteroids four weeks before pollen season did better than those who started using the spray only on seeing symptoms, for example.
Apply it regularly – even on days you don’t have symptoms
“When people say [these medications] are ineffective, it’s usually for one of two reasons,” says Durham. “Either they’re not taking them properly, or they’re not taking them regularly.”
Use your treatment at the same time each day, whether or not you are experiencing symptoms. It’s also important to follow dosing instructions: the trial of combined corticosteroid-antihistamine spray found the greatest symptom reduction in those who used it twice – rather than once – a day.
Make sure you are properly administrating nasal sprays…
Even when we choose an effective nasal spray, many of us are applying it wrong. A common error is to jam the bottle as high up in our nose as it will go, tilt our heads back, spray, and then sniff – all of which directs the medicine towards the back of the throat. But it needs to be in the nose to work.
Instead, lift the nostril and insert the spray so that it is aimed toward the ear on the same side (you may find it easier to get the right angle using the opposite hand). It should only be about a quarter inch (6mm) inside. Then tilt your head forward slightly and spray. Try not to blow your nose after. This allows the medicine to go where it’s most effective and stay there – rather than being cleared out immediately.
. …and eye drops
Many people put their heads back and try to drop the medicine right on top of their eye. This often backfires, with the liquid spilling out immediately (or not spreading across the eyes surface).
Instead, tilt your head to the side, then drop the medicine into the inner corner and blink, Scadding and Durham advise. This distributes it more evenly across the eye.
Reduce any triggers
Beyond medications, be mindful about your exposure to potential allergens. Keeping windows closed – even, unfortunately, at night – can help, as can wearing sunglasses or a mask when you go outside. It’s also important to wash well (ideally, taking a shower) when you come in from spending any time outside; otherwise, allergens like pollen cling to your hair and face, where they can not only continue to irritate you, but can transfer to your furniture and bedding, allergists say.
If you are still suffering, don’t delay seeking help
Many of us shrug off hay fever as just part of the springtime package. But this is unnecessary and, worse, can be harmful. Both short- and long-term, it affects our quality of life, respiratory system, sleep, and, in children, academic performance. “It gets dismissed frequently as, ‘Oh, it’s just a runny nose,'” says Barrie Cohen, a paediatric allergist in New Jersey, US and author of a 2023 review on allergic rhinitis in children. “But if you’re suffering, even for three months out of the year, that’s significant.”
If you are managing your symptoms properly and still find that you’re struggling, see your GP (family doctor). In some cases, it may not be hay fever at all, but asthma or another respiratory illness.
Even when it is hay fever, people might benefit from other treatments – such as allergen immunotherapy – that can help reduce even severe symptoms longer-term, so that they can finally enjoy the summer free of their usual suffering.
Credit: bbc.com
