6 Ways to Enjoy the Outdoors with Allergies
OK, so you’re sneezy, itchy, dopey, sleepy and grumpy. No, you’re not auditioning for the part of one of the dwarfs in Snow White, but you are most likely feeling the symptoms from your pollen allergies and are tired of paying the allergic price for enjoying the outdoors.
So, what can you do to reach a truce with your seasonal allergies? Well, I am not sure if I can help “grumpy”, but the following measures may provide some symptom relief from sneezy, itchy, dopey and sleepy.
6: Plant an Allergen-Free Garden
Plant a garden that surrounds your home with trees and plants that minimize your exposure to pollen. Some of the low-pollen types include hibiscus, roses, apple trees, dogwoods, cherry trees, boxwoods, pears, zinnias, tulips, lilacs, pansies and geraniums. Even though they produce pollen, the type is often larger and heavier and often sinks to the ground with less airborne risk to invade your nostrils and respiratory system.
5: Choose the Right Time
Avoid outdoor activity between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. (pollen tends to peak during those times), as well as during windy days with low humidity as pollen can travel high and far under these outdoor conditions.
4: Wear a Pollen Filter Mask
When in the garden or mowing the lawn, wear a pollen filter mask (inexpensive and sold in pharmacies) that blocks these allergens from flying into your mouth and nose. And, if you have allergies to grass pollen, see if someone else can mow your lawn. Also, wear wraparound sunglasses to minimize the ability of pollen to irritate your eyes.
Know the pollen count by checking the local weather forecast. Once there, you can plug in your zip code and be informed as to the type of pollen as well as the amount. Since many people have a different pollen count and type of pollen to which allergy symptoms are triggered, this guidance may help to better prepare you for your day outdoors.
Know your allergy symptom-relieving recipe. For some, rinsing with a saltwater nasal spray may help to flush out enough pollen to prevent a runny or stuffy nose. For others, a prescription nasal spray or antihistamine medication may be what is needed to decrease your seasonal allergy symptoms.
Also, please speak with your physician. In this way, you can work together to find the right allergy-fighting combination that will help you to better enjoy the outdoors this allergy season.
Have a "pollen dumping" room in your home. In other words, have an area that you leave your outdoor clothes (after gardening, exercising, etc.), and change into a clean and pollen free wardrobe. In this way, you won’t be spreading the clinging pollen grains throughout your house. Also, pollen tends to hang onto the hair on your head and body, so a quick shower to rinse away those travelers will go a long way to keep the pollen counts in your home at very low levels.
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