How to Get Over Allergies Fast so You Can Get Back to Work
Even though winter is widely regarded as the season of sickness, summer allergies can leave just as many people out of commission. The warm, wet weather of springtime encourages all sorts of flora to grow and bloom, leading to beautiful summer scenery — and a bevy of unbearable allergy symptoms, like watery eyes, runny nose, coughing, itching, and more.
In fact, summer allergies tend to look just as bad as they feel, with sufferers displaying unsightly black eyes and facial creases.
If you are suffering from summer allergies, you can be sure your boss and coworkers don’t want you coming into the office looking and feeling as run down as you do. Still, there is no reason to miss work due to a seasonal disorder. Here are some natural tips and tricks to make your allergies go away in no time.
Take a Long, Steamy Shower
As soon as you get home from work, before you do anything else, you should drop your clothes and take a shower. Outdoor summertime allergens tend to stick to clothing, skin, and hair, which means you are probably carrying around the source of your symptoms. Throughout allergy season, you should do everything possible to prevent those allergens from penetrating your home, which usually means washing them down the drain.
Hot showers also help relieve allergy symptoms. Inhaling steam will soothe your irritated sinus tissues, which will help your body drain mucus so you can breathe through your nose. Additionally, showers tend to diminish stress by relaxing the muscles and calming the mind, and a composed, relaxed body is amply more capable of overcoming allergies fast.
Stay Indoors
Once you have scoured your body of any residue that may be causing an allergic reaction, you should sit tight. No matter how nice it is outside, you should close your doors and windows to prevent outdoor air from leaking into your home and causing more allergy symptoms. Outside air carries pollen and pollution, both of which can irritate the sinuses and cause allergies. The more time you can spend in an allergen-free zone, the longer your body has to recover to a symptom-free state. Remember, whatever is affecting you, may also be affecting your children.
Flush With Saltwater
The point of mucus is to trap dust and dirt before they get into the respiratory tract and cause damage. The problem is that during allergy season, mucus lodges allergens in your delicate sinus membranes, which sends your immune system into a tizzy. Getting those allergens out of your sinuses is the only way to cease your symptoms; eventually the body will do it naturally with a deluge of mucus, but you can make the process go faster by flushing with saline solution.
Undoubtedly, you have seen the Neti Pot in action: a small tea pot–shaped device that dramatically delivers saltwater straight to your sinuses. The Neti Pot certainly works, but there are other home-grown methods of achieving the same end: Mix a teaspoon of salt in a pint of warm water and add a pinch of baking soda, then use an eyedropper or spray bottle to administer the solution into your nostrils.
Drink Tea
Warm beverages have been mothers’ cure-alls for centuries, and in fact, the warmth and steam from hot drinks has much the same alleviating effect on the sinuses as a long shower or bath.
Still, some beverages are better for lessening allergy symptoms than others: Tea, especially peppermint and nettle leaf, has well-known properties for easing allergy-related aches and pains. Elements of peppermint oil act as a decongestant and mild anti-inflammatory, which helps clear up the mucus in your respiratory tract, and refreshing nettle leaf tea is a mild anti-histamine packed with all sorts of vitamins and minerals to bolster your immune system.
While you are out of the office overcoming your symptoms, you can curl up with a cup of tea and a good book — or your department’s latest earning reports.
Adjust Your Diet
Just as some drinks help combat your symptoms, some foods can help your body fight off allergies. One study found that those who enjoy a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids are less likely to endure allergy symptoms because the nutrient, found in cold-water fish and walnuts, fights inflammation from the start.
Spicy foods, like horseradish, wasabi, and mustard, also can work as mild, temporary decongestants, which will keep your nasal passageways clear and allow you to breathe. With the right diet throughout allergy season, you may even be able to prevent leaving work to begin with.