27 Home Remedies for Hay Fever
Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, is a type of allergy to pollen, dust, or pet dander. Mold can also sometimes trigger the symptoms of hay fever. There are two basic types of hay fever, seasonal and perennial. Seasonal, as the name implies affects people most during the changes of the seasons, usually from spring to summer and summer to fall. Perennial hay fever affects a person all year long. Sometimes, people can experience both types of hay fever at once, with the symptoms becoming worse around the changes of the seasons.
Symptoms
Different people may feel different symptoms when they are affected by hay fever. If you have any or all of the symptoms listed below, you may want to consult a doctor to see if you have hay fever or something else.
- Sneezing
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Cough
- Itchy or swollen eyes
- Itchy skin
- Fatigue
Even though “fever” is in the name of the ailment, a fever is not one of the symptoms related to hay fever. If you have a fever and one or more of the other symptoms listed above, it is best that you see a doctor, as you have something other than hay fever.
Home Remedies for Hay Fever
- Close the Windows
If you suspect your hay fever is due to pollen or airborne mold, then it is best that you keep your windows closed during pollen season. This will reduce the chances of the pollen entering your home and triggering your symptoms. If the heat inside is unbearable, use a fan instead of opening the windows.
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Wear Protective Clothing
When you go outdoors, wear clothing that will protect you from pollen. It is important to wear clothing that can protect your eyes and mouth. The best clothing to wear for this includes large sun hats, fashion scarves, and sunglasses. All of these things will make it harder for the irritants to enter your body, thus, making it less likely you will have hay fever symptoms.
Wearing a sunhat can also protect you from the sun’s rays
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Quit Smoking
While smoking does not cause hay fever, smoking can make the symptoms worse. If you are a smoker, it is best to quit as soon as possible. Quitting smoking will also help with an array of other health problems. If you are not a smoker, then you should avoid people who do smoke, especially during pollen season. This will reduce the aggravation of your hay fever symptoms.
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Wash your Hands Often
Wash your hands whenever you come in contact with an allergen. For example, if you pet an animal, wash your hands afterward. If you have just come inside from being outside (even if there did not seem to be a significant amount of pollen in the air), wash your hands when you get inside. This will help to keep your home and your body a little more pollen/allergen-free.
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Change your Bedsheets
Changing your bedsheets often can make it less likely that you will suffer from your hay fever symptoms in the night. Make sure to wash and change your sheets at least once a week to get the best results.
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Shower at Night
Another way to make your symptoms less active at night is to take a shower before you go to bed. This can work to wash off the pollen that may have landed on you during the day. It also ensures that you aren’t bringing any of the pollen into bed with you. Do this every night to get the best results.
Also, the hotter the shower, the better. Hot showers produce more steam than cooler showers. Of course, don’t burn yourself! The steam will help to clear out your nasal passages, which should make it easier to blow your nose and it may even relieve you of a stuffy nose.
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Reduce your Dairy Intake
Eating or drinking a lot of dairy products can make the symptoms of hay fever even worse. To avoid this fate, cut down on drinking cow’s milk, as well as eating cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Doing this will not cure your hay fever, but it should make it so that you sneeze and have a runny nose less often.
You can instead drink other kinds of milk, like coconut milk
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Drink Water
Drinking enough water is important for anyone who is recovering from just about any ailment. When you are feeling unwell, it is best to drink more water than you usually would. An average healthy adult should drink about eight glasses of water a day to avoid becoming dehydrated. During pollen season, try to drink even more water than that.
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Hard Candy
Sucking on hard candy can help to ease any pain you may have in your throat. Because hard candy promotes the production of saliva, it can ease both coughing and dry throats. Suck on hard candy as often as needed. For the best results, use peppermint candies.
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Omega-3
Omega-3s are a component that can help to boost your immune system. When your immune system is in tip-top shape, you are less likely to face many of the symptoms commonly associated with hay fever. One of the best ways to naturally take in more Omega-3 is to eat more fish. Eat more salmon and mackerel to get the best results. If you do not want to eat fish, then you can instead take omega-3 supplements as directed on the bottle.
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Aloe Vera Gel
If having itchy skin is one of your symptoms, then using aloe vera gel will be able to help. For this home remedy, all you need to do is rub a little of fresh or bottle aloe vera gel on the itchy part of your skin. You can rub the aloe vera gel on your skin up to three times a day to get the best results.
Organic Aloe Vera Gel ($13.89)
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Don’t Scratch
Scratching your skin or rubbing itchy eyes will only make the itching worse. Plus, if you rub your eyes too much, you could complicate matters or give yourself an eye infection. To be safe, avoid touching your eyes altogether. Avoid touching your skin unless you are applying moisturizer, showering, or trying another one of our home remedies.
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Citrus Juice
Drinking any kind of citrus juice (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, or tomato) will greatly help to boost your immune system and clear away your hay fever symptoms. This works because citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. To use this home remedy, simply drink a cup or two of any of these juices each day during pollen season.
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Green Tea
Drinking green tea both helps to boost your immune system and it helps to ease the pain of a sore throat. If drunk often enough, it can also help to prevent coughing. To use this home remedy, all you have to do is brew and drink a cup of green tea two to three times a day. For an added health boost, add in a tablespoon of honey.
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Reduce Sugar Intake
Taking in too much sugar while you are feeling ill will only make your symptoms worse. When you are afflicted with hay fever, it is best to entirely avoid soda and other sugary drinks. Also, avoid candy and other sweets until you are feeling better.
If you are planning on doing any baking, try using honey instead of sugar. Use about half the amount of honey to replace the sugar in the recipe. Also, add 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda for every half-cup of honey you use. Do this even if the original recipe does not have baking soda in it.
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Hot Soup
Eating most any kind of hot soup can help to improve your hay fever symptoms. Simply because it is a liquid and warm, it can help to ease your sore throat or a cough. Chicken soup with lots of vegetables will do the most good, but most soups will work for this home remedy. However, you will want to avoid milk, cheese, or cream-based soups.
The spicier the soup, the better
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Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper packs a punch, especially when it comes to clearing out a stuffy or runny nose. This home remedy sounds a bit odd, but it gets the job done. To use cayenne pepper to clear your nose, dip a Q-tip in powdered cayenne pepper. Put this near your nostrils and inhale. This is likely to burn for a few seconds and make you sneeze, but once the burning feeling goes away, your nose should be cleared up.
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Avoid Alcohol
When your immune system is weak, like when you are battling the symptoms of hay fever, alcohol is likely to exacerbate your symptoms. To avoid worsening your symptoms, simply avoid drinking alcohol while you are not feeling well.
If you are feeling well, but it is during pollen season, then simply try to drink less alcohol. If you are going to drink, it is best to drink red wine, rather than beer or hard liquor. Still, make sure to drink in moderation if you are going to drink at all.
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Oatmeal Bath
If dry skin if one of your symptoms, then it will do a world of good for you to take an oatmeal bath. To use this home remedy, add two cups of raw oatmeal to a lukewarm or slightly warmed bath. Soak in this bath for at least twenty minutes to get the best results. Adding in a couple of drops of lavender essential oil or tea tree oil to get some added relief.
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Use a Humidifier
Using a humidifier at night is a great way to reduce your nighttime hay fever symptoms. Use a humidifier as directed to get the most benefit from this home remedy.
Humidifiers come in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges
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Salt Water
Gargling salt water can help to ease the pain of a sore throat. To use this home remedy, mix a tablespoon of salt in a cup of warm water. Take a sip and gargle the water for a few seconds and then spit it out. Repeat this until the cup is empty. Use this home remedy as often as needed.
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Neti Pot
Using a neti pot is a great way to clear up a runny or stuffy nose. Simply fill the neti pot with a saline solution and use it as directed on the box. Use this as often as needed to clear our your nose.
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Spicy Food
If you have a stuffy nose, then eating spicy food may be the cure you have been looking for. To use this home remedy, all you have to do is eat spicy food. Some great spices to add to your food include cayenne pepper, turmeric, chili pepper, and garlic.
If you have a runny nose, make sure to avoid this home remedy, as it will only make your nose run more.
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Licorice Root Tea
Drinking licorice root tea can help to ease chest congestion. To use this home remedy, boil some licorice root in a pot of water. Let the water boil for about ten minutes. When the time is up, take out the licorice root and drink the water. Drink this up to twice a day to relieve chest congestion.
Licorice root
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Nettle Tea
Nettle tea can also be helpful in treating chest congestion. Other than that, it can also be helpful in treating any sinus problems that you may have as a result of your hay fever. Simply drink two to three cups a nettle tea a day to treat your hay fever symptoms.
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Ginger Tea
Ginger tea is yet another tea that can work towards improving hay fever symptoms. Drinking ginger tea up to three times a day can help to relieve any sinus problems you may be having. It is especially useful in treating stuffy noses.
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Horseradish
Some say horseradish has an abrasive taste, but that is part of what makes it so useful in treating hay fever symptoms. Adding horseradish to your meals will add an extra punch of flavor to your meals as well as combat a stuffy nose. Add this to your meals once a day to gain its benefits.
Horseradish topping a meal
Which of these home remedies are you most likely to use? Comment with your answer below.
References
https://acaai.org/allergies/types/hay-fever-rhinitis
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hay-fever/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20020827
https://www.top8homeremedies.com/home-remedies/49-home-remedies-for-itching/
https://www.top8homeremedies.com/home-remedies/41-home-remedies-to-boost-your-immune-system/
https://www.emedicinehealth.com/hay_fever/article_em.htm
https://commonsensehome.com/home-remedies-for-allergies/
