Don't Let Summer Allergies Ruin the Fun

Spring allergies are notorious for causing sniffles, but summer allergies can make you just as miserable. The same irritants that cause spring allergies are to blame for summer allergies. Add heat, humidity, and air pollution, and you've got a recipe for summer allergy agony.

Know Your Allergies Since everybody and every allergy is different, make sure you know what you're allergic to. Allergy triggers tend to peak at specific times and even specific locations. Common allergens like grass, ragweed, pollen, and mold may cause problems all summer but may be more prevalent during different times. For instance, grass allergies may spike in the early summer while weed allergies spike later in the summer. Mold spores thrive in the hot, humid weather of summer.

Having Fun This Summer Without Allergies Although staying indoors with the windows closed and driving with the car windows up are two ways to avoid the worst of summer allergies, it's not always practical (or fun!) to avoid the outdoors. Avoid going outdoors during peak allergy and air pollution hours ' early morning and late afternoon & and schedule the fun when you're likely to encounter fewer allergens.

Schedule vacations wisely. Severe summer allergies don't make for a fun-filled vacation. Although it's a myth that there's no pollen at the beach; dry, sandy areas do tend to have lower pollen counts, so seaside vacations may be a good bet for someone with a grass allergy. But, if you have a mold allergy, a trip to the rainforest might be a bad idea.

The bottom line is that there are ways to avoid letting allergies spoil the fun this summer. If you need more information, or if the above suggestions don't help you keep a handle on your allergies, call us at 270-765-6149 to make an appointment with one of our board certified allergy and asthma specialists