Having hayfever can be unbearable at times. It makes it pretty hard to go about your normal activities when you can’t stop sneezing, your nose is running and there’s a horrible scratchy feeling in the back of your throat.
We tend to think of hayfever as something that happens in spring, when the pollen levels are high, but some people are affected by hayfever all year round. You can’t cure hayfever. But there are ways you can get some relief from its nasty symptoms.
This brochure will tell you all you need to know about hayfever, and give you some practical suggestions on how you can treat and prevent it.
The main symptoms
Not everyone with hayfever will be affected by the same symptoms, but here are some of the common ones:
- A runny, sometimes streaming, nose – A tickling sensation in the nose, throat, ears and roof of the Mouth
- Uncontrollable bouts of sneezing
- Blocked nostrils, this may be on one side only, or on both (the ears can become blocked as well)
- A ‘nasally’ voice (like you would sound if you were trying to talk through a pinched nose)
- Not being able to taste or smell food
- Reddened, puffy, watering, itchy eyes
- An irritating cough People with hay fever can also find it difficult to concentrate and may become listless and irritable. They’re also usually more susceptible to other allergies like asthma or eczema.