Allergies are no fun. Having red, itchy eyes and a stuffy nose can really put a downer on your day and stop you from enjoying your life.
If you have a friend or coworker who is struggling with allergies, here are some things that you can do to help them.
Keep the windows closed
If it’s a sunny day outside, it can be lovely to throw open the windows and let a breeze in. Unfortunately, this is likely to worsen their symptoms for allergy sufferers as the breeze will bring in pollen, dust, and other allergens.
It’s a better idea to keep your windows closed and use an air conditioner to cool the room down instead. Fitting a HEPA filter to your air conditioner will also help to keep pollen out, as they are designed to catch smaller particles than standard filters.
Wash your hands
If you’ve been outside, your clothes and skin are likely to be covered in pollen and other allergens. If you’re living with or entertaining someone who has a sensitivity to those allergens, then their presence on your clothes could be enough for them to react.
Be sure to at least take off your shoes and jacket and wash your hands when you come in from outside. You could also think about showering and changing your clothes, too.
Have allergy relief on hand
If someone is already suffering from their allergies, it can be really helpful to have things like allergy eye drops on hand so that they can quickly find some relief from the problem.
Allergy eye drops are particularly effective for people who find that their allergies give them red and itchy eyes because they soothe the itching while at the same time helping to stop the allergic reaction.
Be aware of pollen counts
If you’re planning an outdoor event or even a trip to a restaurant where you might sit outside, one way to help a friend or colleague with allergies is to be mindful of the pollen count when you’re making your plans.
Scheduling your outing for a time when pollen counts are lower means that they are less likely to have a reaction, which means that they will be able to enjoy the event just as much as you do.
Work out in the evening
If your exercise buddy is someone who suffers from an allergy to pollen, one way to help them is to schedule any runs or outdoor activity for the early evening.
Pollen rises in the morning and is generally at its highest level in the period between late morning and early afternoon, and when you exercise, you are usually breathing more heavily, which means more of the pollen can get into your system, so exercising at these times is likely to cause issues for someone with allergies!
By early evening the pollen levels have usually settled down somewhat.
Keep on top of clutter
Piles of clutter in the home or office are the perfect place for allergens like pollen and dust to gather, so you can help out your friends or coworker with allergies by ensuring that you keep on top of clutter and dust regularly.