Everybody loves spring! After being inside all winter, the sunshine is a welcome sight, and most people want to spend time outdoors. Unfortunately, for people with asthma and allergies, springtime comes with a price. Many people suffer asthma and allergies, and about 50%of the people with asthma suffer from both asthma and allergies! Spring pollen is the main culprit and can result in airway inflammation which worsens asthma.
What should you do if you have asthma and allergies? Lock yourself inside all spring? Absolutely not! There are lots of things you can do to lessen the effects of pollen and still enjoy spring outdoors. The first tip is to get ahead of the pollen. If you haven’t been taking your allergy medicine all winter, start back up about 2 weeks before the pollen hits your area. Many weather apps and websites have pollen counts and forecasts.
Pollen counts are usually highest in the morning hours, from about 5 am-10 am. Try to avoid long exposures at this time. Always shower when you come inside after being outside for a long period of time, as pollen can stick to your clothes and skin and transfer to other parts of your house. Never dry your sheets or clothes outside, as pollen blows for 50 miles, so you don’t even have to have a tree in your backyard to be exposed to pollen. Keep your windows in your car and your home closed, so that the pollen stays outside from where you live and sleep.
It can be fun to exercise outdoors, especially in the spring when the weather isn’t too hot, or too cold, but it can wreak havoc on your asthma and allergies. Try to do most of your exercising indoors. If you really want to exercise outdoors, it is recommended that you take your asthma and allergy medications before you go outside to workout. Taking an antihistamine and 2 pumps of your rescue inhaler can prevent an asthma attack from happening.
While having asthma and allergies can be a pain in the spring, you can still enjoy the outdoors. Follow these tips and you can spend time outdoors enjoying the spring air and the warm sun.