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During the COVID-19 public health emergency, if there was any positive of mask wearing to me, it was that masks provided a barrier to pollen and pesky allergens that are present everywhere at this time of year.
As a person with several off-the-charts plant related allergies, I already owned a number of multi-layered face masks even before COVID. In the last few years, rather than calling attention to myself, I could blend in wearing those masks. I wore my mask as defense not only against pollen and an itching, sneezing, runny nose, but it also protected me (and others) from a virus.
Most thankfully, we have turned a corner in the pandemic. Earlier this May, three years after the pandemic began, the powers that be at the World Health Organization have declared that the global emergency status for COVID-19 is over.
I'm not sorry that the mask mandates have gone away. But without them, I do find myself significantly more allergic. In empathy with new allergy sufferers who may be in the same predicament, I offer some tips and tricks to deal with seasonal allergies without a mask.
12 Tips for Enjoying a Maskless Allergy Season
1. Take a 24 hour allergy (antihistamine) medication just before going to bed to help ensure a good night’s sleep. Along with avoiding a sleepless, congested night, timing your medication in this way can help you have a better morning - that's when concentrations of pollen in the air can be at their highest. However, some people find their 24 hour non-drowsy antihistamine interferes with sleep, as the medications may contain a stimulant. If that's the case, look for a 24 hour antihistamine that is not marketed as non-drowsy.
2. Wear a hat outdoors to reduce the amount of pollen that settles on your hair and face.
3. Change into a new set of clothes upon entering your home. This action will keep allergens on the outdoor clothes you shed, so you don't trail pollen throughout your living space.
4. Rinse your face with cold water to wash pollen away and soothe puffy, red eyes.
5. Use eye lubricating drops, available over the counter, to flush pollen and soothe red, itchy eyes. Natural tear formulations can work well. For extremely itchy eyes, try antihistamine eye drops. Both types are available over-the-counter. Consider storing your eye drops in the refrigerator to enjoy a soothing, cold application.
6. Use a neti pot to clear nasal passages of irritating pollen and relieve nasal congestion. You can also try Flonase, which is now available over the counter.
7. Change pillowcases daily to avoid pollen being transferred from your hair to your face. Change bedsheets as often as you feel necessary to get rid of settled pollen.
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8. Remove rugs and carpeting that can trap pollen in your home, and favor bare floors.
9. Vacuum at least twice a week, paying special attention to bedrooms.
10. Close windows during pollen season to avoid pollen accumulating indoors, and opt for air conditioning. Look for rainy days as opportunities to open your windows instead of dry, sunny ones. But be careful - just a little rainfall can actually throw settled pollen back up into the air. Open windows on a truly wet day.
11. Use a dehumidifier to keep room humidity to 30 to 50 percent. Allergic reactions to dust mites and mold - which thrive in high humidity - can exacerbate seasonal allergies.
12. Use a HEPA air cleaner, sized correctly for your space, to filter out the pollen from the air inside your home.
Finally, when at-home remedies are not enough, and allergies are frequently interfering with your sleep, it’s really time to see a doctor. Actually, if you find that you need to do everything that's included on this list to be comfortable, your allergies are likely at a level of discomfort which would advise seeing a doctor, too. A doctor can prescribe the right medication, which may include getting allergy shots, or immunotherapy, to build tolerance to the allergens over time.
This article was originally published in Westwood Minute on May 12, 2021 and has been revised and updated. Read the original article here.
