Have you ever said, “it’s just allergies”? So many people dismiss their symptoms as ‘just allergies’ without realizing there are some simple things you can do to reduce the effects of seasonal allergies, or even prevent symptoms from occurring!

allerease stats Reduce the Effects of Seasonal Allergies

According to AllerEase, 6 out of 10 Americans suffer from seasonal or environmental allergies, and many of those wake up at night due to allergy or cold-like symptoms that could easily be prevented.

I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Neeta Ogden, M.D., who is an allergy specialist, and she had some great tips to share to prevent allergies from occurring in the first place.

Easy Ways to Reduce the Effects of Seasonal Allergies

reduce the effects of seasonal allergies

Start in the Morning

Dr. Ogden suggests morning as the best time to start managing your allergies because that is when symptoms are often pronounced. Take stock of your condition and make a plan for minimizing exposure during the day by checking pollen counts and wearing things like sunglasses and hats to keep allergens from settling in your eyes and hair.

Rinse Allergies Away

Since allergens can cling to clothes and hair, and you are exposed to many of those allergens like grass, tree, and mold throughout the day, you should try showering at night to rinse them away before you get into bed each night.

Create an Allergy Free Haven in the Bedroom

Regardless if you usually suffer from allergies or not, nearly everyone can be affected by dust that collects in unprotected pillows, mattresses, and plush surfaces. Dust mites love plush surfaces and anything made of fabric; like rugs, throws, fabric lampshades, and even books!

The average bed contains 100,000 to 10 million dust mites! Since you shed dead skin cells daily, many of those while sleeping, the mites love hanging out in your bed where they feast off the dead cells.

If you minimize the fabric surfaces in your bedroom and use allergen barrier items (not hypoallergenic as it doesn’t prevent the buildup of dust, mites, pet dander, and more) you may find that you will enjoy better sleep and sniffle-free mornings as the reaction to the mites has been reduced.

Some soft surfaces are going to be in your bedroom so in those cases, the best defense is a good offense. Dr. Ogden suggests to fully encase your mattress with allergen barrier bedding, like an AllerEase Maximum mattress protector, to prevent sniffle-inducing allergens from building up in your bed.

In addition, you can use pillow protectors that zip fully closed, as well as allergy barrier down-alternative comforters. The hot water washable protectors and comforter have an advanced design that enables them to be washed in hot water above 120°F to kill germs, bacteria, and E. coli, while the tightly woven fabric prevents the collection of dust mites, pet dander, pollen, and other household allergens from collecting in your pillow.

Changing Bad Habits

I quickly realized that by making a few simple changes, like keeping stacks of books off the nightstand and dusting the lampshades more frequently, that I was able to really reduce the effects of seasonal allergies in myself. I’ve also taken some of Dr. Ogden’s other advice and switched out my bedding, as well as tried mattress protectors. I’ll have a full review coming soon!

What do you do to reduce the effects of seasonal allergies?
Do you have any additional tips to share? 

**All stats and/or suggestions provided by AllerEase and/or Dr. Ogden. Please consult a doctor if a medical condition exists or persists as this is information is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical conditions as is purely informational in nature. Compensation has been provided for this post.