If you’re dealing with watery eyes, a cough and the sniffles, try these tips for beating allergy season at its own game.

The itchy, watery eyes. The dry cough. The nonstop sneezing and runny nose. You know what this is all about: seasonal allergies.

Often called hay fever, seasonal allergies affect about 25.7 million American adults and 18.9 million children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms can be caused by allergens, including pollen, grass and budding trees, which all increase significantly in the spring.

Fortunately, you don’t need to just suffer through the season. Here are some top choices for easing symptoms as nature blooms around you.

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1. Get in the habit of checking the pollen count

If you know the pollen count in your area is low, you can plan on doing activities outside. The opposite is true, then, when pollen counts are high.

You can find accurate pollen counts on the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology’s National Allergy Bureau website. You’ll get a daily estimate of pollen and mold levels in your area.

Another option you can try is downloading a free smartphone app such as My Pollen Forecast, which can track daily pollen counts and the presence of specific allergens that might affect you in your area.

2. Use a saline nasal spray and eye drops

You can get products to help ease the symptoms of allergies over the counter at your local pharmacy. Over-the-counter saline nasal sprays can be used to clear pollen and other irritants out of your nose.

Nasal sprays also briefly thin mucus in the nasal passages, which can help alleviate congestion or dryness. These products not only bring relief from symptoms but may also prevent more serious issues, according to Heather Moday, M.D. She’s an integrative and functional medicine doctor and the author of The Immunotype Breakthrough.

Another allergy-reliever to seek out is eye drops. “Rinsing your eyes throughout the day with saline eye drops can prevent pollen from causing allergic conjunctivitis,” says Dr. Moday. “Most oral medications don’t help for eye problems related to allergies.” One medication that does: antihistamine eye drops, which can provide temporary relief from red, itchy eyes brought on by seasonal allergies.

3. Introduce your nose to the neti pot

To rinse your nasal passages more fully than you would by just using a saline spray, you might want to try a neti pot, says Dr. Moday. Using one nightly can help prevent your sinuses from getting clogged while you’re lying down to sleep, she adds.

A neti pot looks like a small teapot and works by flushing your nasal passages with a saline solution. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes that these irrigation devices — which also include bulb syringes, squeeze bottles and battery-operated water devices — are usually safe and effective if used properly and cleaned often. Also, be sure to use only distilled, sterile or previously boiled water.

Looking for the individual or family health plan that’s right for you? Learn more now or call a licensed insurance agent at 1-844-211-7730 to discuss your options.

4. Invest in a HEPA filter

Short for “high-efficiency particulate air,” a HEPA filter is designed to remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and many other airborne particles, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

You will need to clean your HEPA filter from time to time for it to work right, so read the directions that come with it about how to properly maintain it.

5. Try over-the-counter medications

Remember that trip you made to the local pharmacy for saline nasal spray? Your pharmacist can also point out over-the-counter (OTC) medications that you can take to ease your allergy symptoms.

For example, you can find OTC antihistamine tablets and liquids, which will help block allergy symptoms. Because some of them may cause you to feel tired, you’ll want to read the directions of these medications carefully. And consult your doctor if you happen to be taking more than one medication, as antihistamines may interact with other drugs.

You can also find some OTC nasal sprays that can be sprayed into your nose once or twice a day to help treat inflammation and reduce your symptoms. These are called corticosteroids.

If you’re still not getting the relief you need, you may want to consult your doctor about finding a prescription option that could work for you. An example is immunotherapy, where you’re given prescription allergy shots that introduce a certain amount of an allergen into your body. The dose is then increased gradually, so that you can eventually develop an immunity or tolerance to the allergen.

Another prescription option is something called sublingual (under your tongue) immunotherapy, where you place a tablet under your tongue daily, both before and during allergy season. It treats hay fever caused by certain pollens, and it can potentially decrease your immune response to allergens considerably.

However, this type of immunotherapy is not meant for immediate allergy symptom relief, and you’ll want to consult your doctor about how to take it before doing it at home by yourself.

6. Schedule an appointment with your doctor

If your allergies are mild and well controlled with minimal intervention, you likely don’t need to see an allergist, says Dr. Moday. But consider seeing a doctor if your symptoms worsen, you experience sinus infections, or your allergies affect your quality of life. There are prescription medications that can be very helpful, she says.

Plus, you now have a bunch of other options at your fingertips too, such as that neti pot or eye drops. Either way, you’ll have the best plan in place for springtime’s worst.

Wondering which health plan is right for you? Get details on available plans now or call a licensed insurance agent at 1-844-211-7730.

This article contains information that is compiled by UnitedHealthcare or its subsidiaries. UnitedHealthcare does not represent all the information provided are statements of fact. Please consult directly with your primary care physician if you need medical advice.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Allergies.” February 1, 2023. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/allergies.htm

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Seasonal allergies: Keeping symptoms in check.” April 1, 2024. Retrieved from https://www.chop.edu/news/health-tip/seasonal-allergies-keeping-symptoms-check

Nebraska Wesleyan University. “Pollen count.” Retrieved from https://www.nebrwesleyan.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/biology/pollen-count Accessed May 14, 2024

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “What is a HEPA filter?” March 5, 2024. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-hepa-filter

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Is rinsing your sinuses with neti pots safe?” October 5, 2023. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/rinsing-your-sinuses-neti-pots-safe

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Know which medication is right for your seasonal allergies.” April 4, 2024. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/know-which-medication-right-your-seasonal-allergies

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