If you suffer from regular colds, burning eyes and even asthma, a pollen allergy may be the cause. In this article, you will find out what actually triggers hay fever, which complaints and symptoms are typical of hay fever and how these can be treated and avoided. We have compiled the eleven best tips against hay fever for you.
What actually is hay fever?
Hay fever is a hypersensitivity reaction of the body to pollen from grasses, cereals, shrubs and trees. This pollen is transported from one plant to the next by insects or the wind. If the pollen flies in the wind, it can spread quickly and lead to allergic reactions. This is why hay fever is also known as a pollen allergy. This is considered the most common allergic disease. In Germany alone, around 13 million people are affected by a pollen allergy.
What are the typical symptoms of hay fever?
If the pollen gets onto the mucous membranes in the nose or eyes, this leads to an immune reaction in allergy sufferers. The following symptoms can then occur with a pollen allergy:
- Watery and reddened eyes
- Frequent sneezing
- blocked and runny nose and swelling of the nasal mucous membranes
- Skin reactions such as redness or itching
- Scratchy throat
- Regular coughing, which can develop into allergic asthma
- Headaches and sleep disorders as well as reduced performance
When is pollen season?
Pollen is particularly common from February to October. During the pollen season, allergy sufferers find it very difficult to avoid contact with allergens, as pollen from grasses and trees can fly for miles.
Take birch pollen, for example:
Allergy sufferers are particularly affected in April, but this often extends into May.
When are the pollen particularly active?
In general, particularly high concentrations of pollen can be detected in rural areas in the early morning hours between 4 am and 6 am. In contrast, the evening hours between 6 p.m. and midnight are very favorable for allergy sufferers. In urban areas, on the other hand, the pollen count is particularly high in the evening, while the concentration of pollen is comparatively low in the morning hours between 6 am and 8 am.
Diagnosis of hay fever? What does the doctor do?
If you suspect that you are suffering from an allergy, you should always consult a doctor to obtain a precise diagnosis. Effective treatment can only be initiated once it has been clarified whether an allergy is really the cause of the symptoms and what triggers them. Even mild symptoms that occur repeatedly should be taken seriously. After all, an allergy can gradually worsen if no countermeasures are taken.
Treatment and therapy for hay fever
If allergic symptoms occur, they are usually treated with special medication. This reduces the patient's suffering and counteracts a worsening of the symptoms. However, this only achieves a short-term improvement in symptoms; medication is no substitute for causal treatment. It should therefore be clarified with the attending physician whether a therapy to treat the causes is possible for the allergy in question.
Antihistamines - weakening of the body's own histamine
The body releases more histamine in a hay fever patient. This leads to the allergic symptoms mentioned above. Antihistamines weaken the effect of the body's own histamine or can even eliminate it completely. With these medications, the released histamine can only bind to receptors in a weakened form, which leads to a reduction in allergic symptoms.
Although antihistamines are still the most commonly administered medication for hay fever, they often have side effects. One of these side effects is tiredness or drowsiness. This side effect is particularly common with the first generation of antihistamines. Other side effects of antihistamines can include dizziness, headaches and fatigue.
Nasal sprays and nasal rinses
If your nose is swollen, decongestant nasal sprays can provide quick relief from hay fever. However, it is important that they are used for a maximum of one week, as otherwise the nasal mucous membranes can dry out, which can lead to a worsening of the allergic reactions.
Rinsing the nose with a nasal douche can significantly alleviate allergic symptoms in some cases. Such a nasal douche is available from pharmacies or drugstores.
Cortisone has a strong anti-inflammatory effect
Cortisone is an endogenous hormone that has many functions in the human body. A key property of cortisone is its strong anti-inflammatory effect. However, due to its strong effectiveness and possible side effects, cortisone is generally only used for severe hay fever.
Fewer allergy symptoms thanks to hyposensitization
In the case of an allergy, the immune system overreacts when it comes into contact with certain substances, the allergens. This overreaction can be treated by hyposensitization. This is a specific immunotherapy that lasts for around three years. This therapy offers good prospects of success, especially for hay fever.
Although this does not eliminate the sensitization to the triggering allergen, the immune system learns in the course of the therapy that the respective substances do not pose a danger. This prevents excessive immune reactions, which have manifested themselves as allergic symptoms in those affected. As the allergy symptoms are less severe or no longer occur after successful hyposensitization, fewer anti-allergic medications are required.
The eleven best tips for hay fever
We have summarized the best eleven tips for hay fever sufferers below. If you take these tips to heart and implement them consistently, you can significantly reduce your exposure to pollen.
Tip 1: Avoid peak pollen periods
To minimize the impact on your body, you should keep the doors and windows in your office, home or car closed at midday and in the afternoon. Most pollen is usually in the air during this time. Incidentally, the lower floors of a building are generally less polluted with pollen than the upper floors.
Tip 2: Don't forget to air the room regularly
Regular air exchange in the home is best carried out between 6 and 8 a.m. in urban areas. In rural areas, however, you should wait until after 7 pm. Short bursts of ventilation are better than keeping the windows tilted for a long time.
Tip 3: Pollen screens and pollen filters
Pollen screens fitted in front of the windows can help to prevent an excess of pollen in the home. Air conditioning systems, on the other hand, can be fitted with special pollen filters.
Tip 4: Be careful when changing clothes
During the pollen season, it is best not to change your clothes in the bedroom. In this way, you avoid spreading pollen around. It is therefore best to take clothes that are contaminated with pollen out of the bedroom to minimize allergy symptoms during the night.
Tip 5: Wash and brush your hair
It is best to wash and brush your hair before going to bed. This removes pollen and prevents pollen from entering the bedroom. If possible, sleep with the windows closed during the acute pollen season.
Tip 6: Change your bed linen regularly
While the pollen is really active, you should make sure you change your bed linen more often than usual. Freshly washed laundry is best dried indoors only. This will protect them from pollen grains.
Tip 7: Make sure you vacuum regularly
As an allergy sufferer, you should also not underestimate floor hygiene. Vacuum as regularly as possible and use a vacuum cleaner with a special fine dust filter. Vacuum cleaners are now available especially for allergy sufferers. These have a sealed housing that makes it impossible for pollen to escape. You should replace the filter bag every 14 days or so.
Tip 8: Find out about the pollen count
You can find out about the current pollen count situation in daily newspapers, for example. Information on the Internet is particularly up-to-date. Various websites offer this service free of charge.
Tip 9: Avoid strenuous activities when pollen is flying
Ideally, you should spend as little time as possible outdoors when the pollen count is particularly high. In particular, you should avoid strenuous activity and sport, as more pollen will enter the airways as a result of more vigorous breathing.
Tip 10: Use the time after the rain
When it rains and immediately after a rain shower, there are comparatively few pollen grains in the air. Now is the best time for hay fever sufferers to go for a walk.
Tip 11: Take a close look at garden plants
Avoid growing plants in your garden that you are allergic to. If you are allergic to pollen, pay particular attention to birch, hazelnut and alder.
Conclusion: Unfortunately, there is still no cure for hay fever. However, there are ways and means of keeping the suffering as low as possible. We hope that our eleven tips will provide you with some relief. If nothing helps and all the advice simply doesn't work, you should always consult a doctor. There may be a prescription medication that can help you in your case.
