The sneezing, the coughing, and the wheezing. It all gets to be too much. We’re talking about allergy season, and like it or not, it’s going to come around every year to get us.
While you may feel personally victimized by those allergies, it’s not personal. Seasonal allergies affect millions of people all over the world, and we need to learn how to manage the symptoms.
Today we want to examine what seasonal allergies mean and how we can deal with them effectively. Depending on the severity, there are a few ways to handle the symptoms and a combination of solutions. These fixes can help get you or your kids breathing deeper and easier.
So, you can stop stocking up on tissues; help is on the way.
What Is Allergy Season?
Allergy season is when your sinuses go wild and fill your nasal passageways with mucus.
You either deal with a constantly runny nose, or you’re stuffed up to the point that breathing is difficult. Whether your allergy triggers come in early summer or you deal with fall allergies, you know the feeling.
It’s called a seasonal allergy because it doesn’t affect your immune system all year. While you may sneeze due to pet dander or tree pollen throughout the year, allergy season is a specific time frame in which symptoms take over your body and life.
It becomes hard to get through the day due to nasal congestion and subsequent brain fog. You may be tired due to all those sleepless nights when your breathing was impaired.
What’s worse is when our kiddos suffer from allergy season. It can be hard to see them uncomfortable due to environmental effects that you can’t control. You already don’t sleep a lot as a parent. Then, your sleep is even further disturbed when your kid wakes you up after coughing disturbed their dreams.
When Is Allergy Season?
Many people believe allergy season to be a specific time of year. While this can be true, it’s not always the case.
For many allergy sufferers, allergy season just means that a recent change in weather has caused pollen counts to increase in the air, which can bother your sinuses. Different times of the year can affect everyone differently, so don’t think you’re crazy if you suffer during ragweed season, but your kids don’t.
As the weather becomes hotter from spring to summer, some people become hyper-sensitive to tree pollen or grass pollen. Plus, with climate change causing hotter temperatures earlier in the year, allergy season can be different for everyone.
Identifying Allergy Season
It can be hard to pinpoint exactly when allergy season starts and where it ends. However, there are signs and symptoms that you can look out for that will alert you.
These symptoms can come on pretty strongly and suddenly. It may take a season or two to pinpoint when you start having excessive allergies and when they subside.
What Are Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies?
The most common symptoms of allergic rhinitis ( AKA seasonal allergies) are caused by dander and elevated levels of pollen in the air. These are environmental issues caused by indoor and outdoor allergens and can cause the following symptoms:
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Runny nose
- Sinus or head pressure
- Watery eyes
- Itchy eyes
- Ear aches and congestion
- Wheezing
- Headaches
- Breathlessness
If you’re not sure if you’re suffering from seasonal allergies, there are a few points to consider.
To figure out if you are experiencing sinus pressure, you can push on your cheeks and the area around your nose. If you feel pressure when you press down and a release when you stop, then you’re definitely suffering from sinus congestion. This is also a really easy test for the kiddos.
They can have trouble telling us their ailments, but if they say it felt funny when you pushed on their sinuses, then you have an immediate answer.
You don’t need to have all or even a majority of these symptoms to deal with seasonal allergies. In fact, dealing with one of these symptoms chronically can indicate that you have sensitivities to environmental allergens.
What Seasonal Allergies Do to the Body
Your body considers these allergens invaders. When you come into contact with ragweed, pigweed, or any other type of weed pollen, your body reacts to keep you safe.
Did you know that your body doesn't react with allergy symptoms the first time you come into contact with pollen? Instead, your immune system studies the pollen and creates antibodies against it. Then, through a series of reactions and processes, these antibodies ensure that the next time you come into contact with the little invader, your nose cues the mucus drip.
Common Seasonal Allergens
We can be allergic to many things, ranging from foods to family pets. Seasonal allergies can also be referred to as summer allergies, spring allergy season, or any other period of the year when you experience them.
This means that these allergies have everything to do with the environment.
The most common seasonal allergens are:
- Ragweed pollen
- Pigweed
- Weed pollen
- Dust mites
These common triggers are just the tip of the iceberg of allergens. Pet dander and mold spores can be other major allergy causes, so you do need to speak to your primary care physician to see if an allergy test is necessary.
Your doctor can get you into contact with an allergist, who can determine if you’re growing more sensitive to allergens around your home or if you are suffering from seasonal issues.
How Do You Deal With Seasonal Allergies?
Dealing with allergies is tough. When you have to amp up the protection during those few months a year when pollen gets heavy, it just gets more annoying trying to manage.
We have a few ways that we know will help you get the relief you need.
OTC Medication
OTC, or over-the-counter, medications are non-prescription medicines that you can purchase at most grocery stores or pharmacies. They come in name brands at a higher cost or generic brands for a little less out of pocket. Both generally have the same effect.
These will fuel your body with antihistamines. Antihistamines will help you fight off the buildup of mucus in your sinuses and help keep you from sniffling and sneezing all day.
Allergy Shots
OTC medications can help in many cases. However, after long-term use, they may become less effective as your body starts tolerating them. Sometimes, allergies are so severe that OTC medications won’t be enough.
At this point, your primary care provider may prescribe antihistamines or recommend allergy shots (immunotherapy).
Allergy shots are generally a regimen with a beginning and an end date that help to create long-term immunities to allergens. They are very common for those allergy sufferers that have pets, as well as those with serious environmental allergies. For many who choose immunotherapy, daily doses of allergy medications aren’t providing substantial comfort.
Essential Oils
Essential oils have been around for years and years and can help soothe allergies. They’re strong enough to be effective at minimizing symptoms, especially when added to allergy medication. For people with severe allergy issues, oils can provide that extra step towards relief.
Essential oils work to trigger responses from the olfactory nerves in your brain that signal to your sinuses. These responses stop your body from reacting in the typical way: all the allergy symptoms you don’t want.
Instead, your body will cease any allergy symptoms fast, and if you use them ahead of time, you could even find relief before the symptoms start.
Allergy Patches
Using essential oils is easy. It can be fun to find blends you enjoy, and they give you a solid line of defense against allergies. However, they can also be overwhelming and not super effective if you don’t use them in the right ways.
We took all of the guesswork out of the game and created our AllergyPatch.
This cute and fun sticker design is full of enough essential oils to give you relief for up to eight hours at a time. So, a few stickers can keep you breathing easy all night. Just replace them in the morning when you get dressed and take that hike you’ve wanted to go on.
We use the perfect blend of lemon, grapefruit, peppermint, and black spruce oils to create our AllergyPatch. These oils keep your body from going into panic mode and filling up your sinuses with unwanted mucus. The extra hit from the grapefruit helps to keep your mind invigorated, so you won’t suffer any brain fog from potential congestion.
The best part? They’re safe for kids and adults, so all-natural relief is accessible to everyone.
Allergy Relief Is on the Way
Seasonal allergies will try to bring you and your fam down, but thanks to the tips listed above, you’re ready for them.
Relief is possible, and we are confident that one of our suggested allergy fighters can get you the cleared-up sinuses you deserve.
Sources:
Seasonal Allergies | Causes, Symptoms & Treatment | ACAAI
Allergies - Symptoms and causes | Mayo Clinic
7 essential oils for allergies | Medical News Today
Ragweed Pollen Allergy | Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
