The exact time of day to hang out your bed sheets and towels to avoid the dreaded pollen bomb of hay fever symptoms
WITH the sun shining more it can be very tempting to hang your laundry out to dry in the garden.
However, experts are warning people against drying their sheets outdoors as it could leave them feeling awful.
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Experts are warning people against drying their sheets outdoors as it could leave them feeling awful
Credit: Getty
3
Pollen can cling to anything which could worsen your symptoms
Credit: Alamy
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Some of the ways that you can lesson the symptoms
And many people will love the chance to hang their wet washing outside and let it dry naturally.
However, experts have warned against this if you have hay fever, as it could lead to symptoms including itchy eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing - getting worse.
Tiny articles of pollen can stick
to everything including your
Allergies
Allergy expert,
"They act as a pollen net as fabrics can trap microscopic particles easily, especially in heavier weaves like towels or bed linen.
'When you
Grayson said that drying clothes and bedding in a tumble dryer can cost more in electricity than hanging your clothes outside.
Most read in Health
But that 'For someone battling allergies, the trade off isn't always worth it'.
What is hay fever: Hayfever season strikes early as mild winter sparks early pollen 'explosion'
However, she explained that if you do want to dry your clothes outside, you should hang them out earlier in the day.
'
"Drying clothes early in the morning and not leaving them out all day can be really helpful," she explained.
Dr Lindsay Browning, psychologist, neuroscientist and sleep expert at
,
provided other tips on how to keep hay fever at bay this summer.
How to know if you have Hay Fever
Hay Fever is usually worse between late March and September, especially when it's warm, humid and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest.
Hay Fever can last for weeks or months, unlike a cold, which usually goes away after one to two weeks.
Typical symptoms include:
Frequent sneezing
Runny or blocked nose
Itchy, red or watery eyes (allergic conjunctivitis)
An itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
Cough, caused by postnasal drip (mucus dripping down the throat from the back of the nose)
Less commonly, you may also experience:
The loss of your sense of smell (anosmia)
Facial pain (caused by blocked sinuses)
Headaches
Earache
Tiredness and fatigue
If you have asthma, your asthma symptoms may get worse when you have hay fever.
Keep your head elevated
Symptoms associated with an allergy are usually worse at night.
This is because when we lie down, the mucus cannot drain in the same way it would when gravity is helping, leading to disturbed breathing or a cough caused by a post-nasal drip.
For this reason, you should aim to keep your head slightly elevated at night if you are struggling with allergies.
This will bring gravity back into the mix, allowing excess mucus to drain and not
pool
and lessening the irritation.
Shower before bed
Taking a shower before bed will wash away any pollen that may have clung to your skin and
hair
from outside. Instead of transferring this onto your bed linen, make a habit of washing yourself before bed.
This is also a great tip for when we still start to experience warmer evenings again as a cool, not cold, shower will help to lower your body temperature making it easier to drift off to
sleep
.
Keep windows closed during the day
It might be tempting to open the window a fraction to let some fresh air in on a sunny spring day, however, if you're a hay fever sufferer, you try to keep your windows and doors closed to prevent pollen from entering your home.
Having your windows open during the day will allow pollen particles to blow in and settle on your clothes, bedding and other soft furnishings within your room, making your symptoms much worse when it comes to bedtime.
Invest in an air purifier
Investing
in an air purifier is useful for those with hay fever as it will remove pollen and dust particles from the air that trigger your symptoms.
This can be extremely beneficial for clearing your sinuses, which should allow you to fall asleep quicker and more comfortably as a result.
Elsewhere, an allergy expert recently revealed the 8 things all hay fever sufferers need to do.
Plus, here are four cheap tricks to beat hay fever season without breaking the bank.
Meanwhile,
the
has warned of
And finally, the 6p supplement that will help prevent the agonising symptoms of hay fever.
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