Winter Weather Allergies Affecting Your Life? Here is What You Can Do About It

Posted: January 5, 2024 3:42 pm

You are not alone in your struggle with allergies during the winter. While many people associate allergies with the spring season, the winter time is also a time when these annoyances can flare up in a big way. Weather in any form can be an allergy trigger, varying between individuals. Although some individuals may suffer more during the spring or fall, others have a harder time during the winter.

What Causes Allergies to Flare in the Winter: Cold temperatures are a primary culprit of being an instigator of allergies during the winter months. This is particularly bad for some people if they try to exercise outdoors. The cold air combined with stress to the respiratory system when breathing heavily may trigger a coughing attack.

In addition, people naturally spend more time indoors during the colder winter months. This makes it more likely that you will be met with indoor allergens such as dust mites and pet dander. It is only natural that you may notice an increase in the incidence of these triggers once you begin spending more time indoors.

Other Allergy Culprits: In addition to the change in temperatures, there are other elements that are more common during the winter that may exacerbate your allergies. The smoke from wood-burning fireplaces or stoves may lead to a higher chance that you develop allergies as well as trigger asthma attacks. Using manufactured logs made of compressed sawdust may cut down on this trigger. It is also important to make sure that the room is properly ventilated.

The pine needles from Christmas trees or wreaths may also cause allergies to flare up. In addition, the branches of the trees may harbor mold over time. If you notice that your allergies get worse when you bring in the tree, you may be better off with an artificial version.

Forced-air furnaces are also able to easily circulate allergens through the air of your home. When you take all of these issues into account, it is not surprising that many allergy sufferers notice that their symptoms worsen during the winter.

Symptoms of Winter Allergies: While the root cause may be different, the general symptoms of various allergies are the same regardless of when they occur. The most common allergy symptoms are runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, postnasal drip, and itchy eyes. Some people may even notice a mild sore throat or headache when the allergies set in.

How to Mitigate the Symptoms: There is no way to completely avoid dealing with winter allergies. However, there are steps that you can take to make them a little more bearable. Here are a few natural things to try if you notice that your allergies get worse during the winter.

• Wash Up Frequently – Be sure to wash your hands and face regularly to help to stop the spread of allergens into your body. Taking a hot shower can also help to relieve some of the worst symptoms as the steam works to clear out the sinuses.
  
• Try a Nasal Saline Solution – A saltwater nasal saline solution can go a long way to flushing out irritants and relieving nasal congestion, a hallmark of winter allergies.
  
• Put Moisture Back into the Air – Many allergy sufferers notice that the symptoms worsen in dry air. You can reverse some of this damage by making an effort to put moisture back in the air through the use of a humidifier.
  
• Clean Regularly – Cleaning your home often will also reduce the incidence of triggers such as dust mites and pet dander. This means that you need to regularly vacuum and dust.
  
• Stay Hydrated – One of the easiest things that you can do to reduce your allergy symptoms is to simply drink more water. It is easy to get dehydrated when you are spending more time in the warm indoors. In addition to upping your intake of water, try eating more fruits and vegetables that contain water. Hot drinks such as warm tea are also helpful because the steam will work to break up the congestion in your nasal passages.
  
• Pay Attention to Bedding – Your bedding may be harboring some of the worst irritants. You can help to negate this by washing your bedding at least once per week in hot water. This will help to keep dust mites at bay. You can also switch out your traditional bedding for allergy-reducing versions. This type of bedding includes special materials that are less permeable to some of the most common irritants.

Do not hesitate to reach out to your healthcare provider for other options if you feel as if your winter allergies are affecting your quality of life. A trained professional will be able to provide medication recommendations so that you can ensure that you are taking the right mix of active ingredients to treat your specific symptoms. And remember that spring will be here before you know it.

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