Hayfever

Check if you have hay fever

Symptoms of hay fever include:

• sneezing and coughing
• a runny or blocked nose
• itchy, red or watery eyes
• itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
• loss of smell
• pain around the sides of your head and your forehead
• headache
• feeling tired

Symptoms are usually worse between late March and September, especially when it's warm, humid and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest.

Hay fever can last for weeks or months, unlike a cold, which usually goes away after 1 to 2 weeks.

How to treat hay fever yourself

There's currently no cure for hay fever and you cannot prevent it. But you can do things to ease your symptoms when the pollen count is high.

Do

• put petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline) around your nostrils to trap pollen

• wear wraparound sunglasses, a mask or a wide-brimmed hat to stop pollen getting into your nose and eyes

• shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off

• keep windows and doors shut as much as possible

• vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth

• try to use a pollen filter in the air vents of your car, if you have one, and a HEPA filter in your vacuum cleaner

Don’t

• do not cut grass or walk on grass

• do not spend too much time outside

• do not keep fresh flowers in the house

• do not smoke or be around smoke – it makes your symptoms worse

• do not dry clothes outside – they can catch pollen

• do not let pets into the house if possible – they can carry pollen indoors

A pharmacist can help with hay fever

Speak to a pharmacist if you have hay fever. they can give you advice and suggest the best treatments to help with symptoms, such as:

• antihistamine drops, tablets or nasal sprays
• steroid nasal sprays

Some antihistamines can make you very sleepy, so speak to your pharmacist about non-drowsy antihistamines if you need to.