It’s summertime! Is your body summer-ready? But wait, It’s not only your body that you should keep an eye on. It’s also important to be cautious about your health during this season as it’s not only the water in the ocean that’s waving, summer allergies are waving too!
Apart from being the time to enjoy the heat and outdoor activities, Summer is also a season for allergies. Don’t let it ruin your fun time! Read on to learn all about summer allergies and discover common causes, symptoms, and how you can manage or prevent them from causing discomfort.
Common Symptoms of Summer Allergies
It’s quite challenging to determine whether it’s a summer allergy or not as the symptoms are pretty much the same as those that you experience during other seasons like Spring. You can only confirm if you get the same symptoms each year at the same time during summer:
- Have itchy and watery eyes
- Have a stuffy or runny nose
- Have an itchy nose and throat
- Have a swollen face or experience a headache
- Sneeze or cough a lot
- Have difficulty in breathing
These are just the common and light symptoms of summer allergies. If you experience other symptoms that are adverse or not tolerable, it is best to consult a doctor immediately.
Triggers of Seasonal Allergies
During summer, more people enjoy outdoor activities such as swimming at the best beaches and gardening. However, summer allergies can refrain you from staying active. Although pollen is the biggest culprit, other allergens are active this time of the year. Here are the common outdoor sources that can trigger summer allergies:
- Tree pollen
- Grass pollen
- Mold
- Ragweed
- Mugwort
- Nettle
These are just some of the common allergy triggers. When you have summer allergies, it is recommended to get an allergy test to determine the trigger and allow you to minimize your exposure to allergens.
How to Manage Summer Allergies
Knowing how to manage and prevent triggers to allergies is vital, especially if you have seasonal allergies like during summer. If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned, here are also preventive measures and treatment you can take:
Avoidance
- Stay up-to-date with the allergy forecast.
- Stay indoors when pollen count and smog levels are high.
- Keep your doors and windows closed. You may turn on your air conditioner and it is important to have an air purifier to keep allergens out.
- Ensure to have clean and well-functioning air filters. It would also help to clean bookshelves, vents, and other areas where pollen collects.
- Regularly wash your beddings and rugs in hot water to remove dust mites and allergens.
- Take a shower and change your clothes after going outside.
- Clean areas with a HEPA filter vacuum and wear a face mask.
- Keep the humidity in your house between 30% and 50% to prevent dust mites to thrive.
Medication and Treatment
If you are not able to avoid getting summer allergies, here are some medications you can take to help ease and provide a level of comfort for you.
Over-the-counter Medications
- Antihistamines
- Decongestants
- Nasal spray decongestants
- Corticosteroid nasal sprays
- Eye drops
- Nasal irrigation
Prescription Medications
- Corticosteroid nasal sprays
- Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs)
- Ipratropium bromide nasal spray (Atrovent)
- Immunotherapy
Having an air purifier in your home or your workplace is one of the efficient ways to reduce your risk of getting summer allergies. A reliable air purifier with HEPA filter like Buoyant’s FiltroPure can capture airborne particles that are up to 0.3 microns including dust, smoke, pollen, and other allergens.
Be summer-ready! Keep a note of these facts about summer allergies to prevent or ease them before they get worse. If you still have no air purifier, get in touch with us and our team of experts will guide you in choosing the most ideal air purifier for you.
