This time of year, we have a lot of things to be grateful for – but seasonal allergies aren’t one of them! When we think of seasonal allergies we usually think of Spring, but 75% of spring allergy sufferers find themselves experiencing symptoms again in the Fall. If you’ve got symptoms like a runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and even undereye circles, you might be a fall allergy sufferer. Here’s what you need to know about fall allergies to help make this Thanksgiving allergy-free!
Top 3 Tips For An Allergy-Free Thanksgiving
1. Invite Thanksgiving guests in – Not Indoor Allergy Triggers!
There’s nothing like that crisp, fall air, but one of the first ways to control your seasonal allergies is to reduce your exposure to common outdoor allergy triggers. Though nothing may be blooming where you live, common pollen allergens, like ragweed, can travel hundreds of miles and stick around into November! Some top tips are:- Keep doors and windows closed
- Wear a mask when raking leaves or other outdoor activities that may stir up dust and airborne allergens
- Avoid exercising outdoors at peak pollen times (usually between 5am-10am)
- Take your shoes off when you come in (and here’s why you should always do this, regardless of the season!)
- Wash your hair at the end of the day to remove of outdoor allergens before sleeping
- If you have a dog, allowing them to sleep on your bed can continue to expose you to allergens they bring inside with them (sorry, Fido!).
2. Reduce Your Indoor Air Pollution
You can improve your indoor quality by regularly cleaning and maintaining your HVAC system When cooler air hits and you turn your system on, settled dust can be pushed and cycled through your indoor air, triggering allergies.- Have your system maintained at the end of the summer and the beginning of spring to make sure it’s functioning correctly.
- Change filters in your HVAC monthly (and use quality filters!)
- Use a dehumidifier or air purifier to improve the quality of indoor air.
- We all love the cozy smells of fall, but it’s important that you don’t use scented candles and conventional air fresheners. These products contain ingredients that can trigger allergies, like Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and chemicals that can lead to respiratory diseases like migraines, allergies, irritation, and impaired lung function, as well as chronic conditions like COPD, asthma, and lung and other cancers. Instead, here are some yummy fragrance combinations you can cook up yourself!
- Let plants help! Some plants, like bamboo palms and spider plants, can actually help clean your indoor air.
3. Don’t Clean With Dirty Products
Everyone wants their home to be sparkling clean and tidy at Thanksgiving – not to mention the mess that is caused by the actual holiday! But did you know that:- Cleaning products are a major allergy trigger and the industry as a whole is poorly regulated with only 300 of over 62,000 ingredients ever having been tested.
- Recent studies have found that daily exposure to conventional cleaning chemicals is as harmful to our health as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
- And cute packaging and claims like natural, non-toxic, green and organic are generally meaningless due to lack of regulation, so don’t be fooled by “green-washing.”