What you can do now to prepare for next year's hayfever season

Why should you start preparing now?

Hayfever is an unpleasant and at times debilitating condition that causes a whole host of symptoms – and it seems to be getting worse every year!

It’s never too late to start preparing, but the earlier you do so the better chance you have of beating the pollen. 

Summer can be long and tiring for hayfever sufferers, with their immune systems facing a daily battle for weeks on end. Therefore you want your body to be as strong as possible to start with to give you the best chance of getting the better of pollen.

So what should you be doing?

Strengthen your immune system

This is one of the most important things you can do, since allergic reactions are essentially extreme immune reactions. A fatigued or malfunctioning immune system is more likely to overreact to harmless particles.

The first thing you should focus on is diet – make sure you’re eating lots of fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and seeds for extra minerals. Smoothies are a great way to get lots of healthy nutrients into your body with as little effort as possible, and the same goes for soup. We’ve all heard the advice that 5 portions of fruit and veg is your daily goal, but did you know that some experts have even been recommending as much as 10? Now is a great time to start making these changes.

Try to reduce stress as much as possible. Chronic stress results in repeated ‘fight or flight’ responses which shut down long-term survival processes such as the immune system and digestive system. Over time this weakens both of these functions.

Improve gut health. Did you know that 75% of immune cells can be found in the gut? Not only will improving digestion help to protect these immune cells, it will also mean you can break down food and absorb nutrients more efficiently. Improving your diet generally and reducing your sugar intake will greatly improve your digestive health, as will reducing your stress. You can take a probiotic and prebiotic such as Molkosan to ensure your gut bacteria are happy and working well.

Eat local honey

Now this is a surprisingly controversial topic, with many swearing by this technique, whilst others claim it’s nothing more than a myth.

The thinking behind this is that local honey contains small particles of the pollen in your area, since pollen is collected by bees. Therefore if you eat local honey rather than imported honey, your body will slowly get used to the pollen you’re likely to be exposed to over the summer and therefore not react so violently when hayfever season comes around.

However, many scientists and researchers say that there is no evidence to support this, especially since bees collect mostly flower pollen rather than grass or tree pollen.

So what’s my opinion? Well it certainly won’t do you any harm so it’s worth giving it a go! 

The honey found in supermarkets is not likely to be local, and is often not even British. To find local honey you would be better looking at local farmers markets or local health food shops. If they don’t stock it, they might at least be able to point you in the right direction. 

Stay up to date with pollen

One of the best ways to prepare is simply by doing your research!

Find out which types of pollen will be around at different times of the year, so you’ll know what to expect. This is particularly useful if you know what types of pollen you’re allergic to, so consulting your GP about getting an allergy test done might be useful.

Early hayfever season can start as early as February with Birch trees, though usually it starts around March. Most people’s symptoms will be worse over the summer, with some experiencing symptoms that tail off into September and even October.

Remember to take into account where in the UK you live – Scotland’s hayfever season starts much later than the south of England, for example. 

You should also take the time to find your nearest local pollen count on our website. We’ve got over 350 locations so we’re sure you’ll find one close to you! Once you’ve found your closest, make sure to bookmark it so it’s easy to find again.

Stock up on remedies

There’s nothing worse than struggling through a day with itchy, irritated and watering eyes, the whole time thinking ‘I wish I’d picked up some eye drops!’

Consider which symptoms affect you the most and pick up the necessary remedies a few weeks in advance – just pay attention to use-by dates!

We always recommend picking up a general hayfever treatment such as our own Pollinosan, or simple one-a-day hayfever tablets. These can help to reduce the overall reaction to pollen and ease a wide range of symptoms. Ideally, you should start taking these a week or two before your symptoms usually start.

As well as this, you’ll probably want some eye drops and a nasal spray. Our own eye drops contain Eyebright and no preservatives – the design of the bottle keeps them sterile for up to 6 months once opened. Our Pollinosan nasal spray contains a similar complex of herbs as our Pollinosan tablets, helping to clear pollen and congestion from the nose.

Find out all the best tips

Do some research now while you have the time! Find out some simple tips and hacks that can help you get through the hayfever season more easily. Putting these into place as soon as the hayfever season starts will be more effective than starting halfway through.

These include things like applying coconut oil or Vaseline around the edges of the nostrils, washing your hair before bed, and keeping windows closed.