“There are also nasal antihistamine sprays, which have a faster onset of action, however these may require a prescription from your GP,” he says.īut for more severe or persistent symptoms, he recommends a regular nasal steroid spray that “can be used as a substitute or addition to antihistamines”. If you are suffering from hay fever, you can use medications to alleviate the symptoms.ĭr Sanjay Mehta, GP at The London General Practice, recommends non-sedating antihistamines, of which many are available over-the-counter, to treat common symptoms of hay fever. However, he notes that there is not enough evidence to suggest that alcohol is linked to making hay fever symptoms worse. However, it’s not actually the alcohol itself that affects your allergies, but rather different substances found in alcoholic drinks, for example, histamine and sulphites, which cause the symptoms of hay fever.”
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“With drinking alcohol, some studies have found that alcohol can cause or worsen the common symptoms of hay fever, like sneezing, itching, headaches and coughing. “While stress doesn’t actually cause allergies, it can worsen an allergic reaction by increasing the histamine in your bloodstream. “People may be more prone to hay fever if stressed, as your body releases hormones and other chemicals, including histamine, the powerful chemical that leads to allergy symptoms,” Dr Powles says.
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Other factors, such as stress, may also trigger hay fever symptoms. “There’s also emerging research linking a less balanced intestinal microbiome (gut flora) with allergy related conditions such as hay fever,” he explains. Whether or not you get hay fever may be down to genetics or the state of your gut health, he says. “A warm and wet May, coupled with a relatively warm spring, means there’s a chance that the pollen that has developed is particularly potent, even if the amounts aren’t dramatically different.” Why does hay fever only affect some people?Īccording to Dr Powles, no one really knows why hay fever affects some people and not others. “The potency of these pollen grains could be more intense this year, and that comes down to the weather we’ve had in spring,” she said. Yolanda Clewlow, relationship manager for health and air quality at the Met Office, adds that pollen grains may be more “potent” this year due to the weather Britain has seen in the past couple of months, which could be exacerbating symptoms.
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“In our health clinics, we’ve seen a rise in people seeking help for hay fever symptoms as we’ve entered the spring/summer months, and our GPs have been able to provide support and advice for managing symptoms.” “What’s more, hotter temperatures like we’re currently experiencing can worsen allergy symptoms as light produces more pollen. This is because we build up a certain level of immunity to pollen when we spend time outside, so without that exposure, you may be less immune than you usually would be to pollen. “As a result, people may have been exposed to less pollen than usual, which could make your hay fever feel worse as we start spending more time outdoors. So what is causing hay fever symptoms to feel so bad this year? Here’s everything we know about it: Why do hay fever symptoms feel really bad right now?ĭr Luke Powles, Bupa Health Clinics’ clinical director, tells The Independent: “Over the last two years, Covid-19 restrictions have meant that we’ve spent more time indoors than we usually would. But the Met Office has said that, while grass pollen is nearing its peak right now, the numbers are not “especially noteworthy” this year compared to previous years.