Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, usually when it comes into contact with your mouth, nose and eyes. Hay fever can come from three types of pollen: tree pollen (February to June), grass pollen (May to July) and weed pollen (June to September). With grass pollen being the most common cause of hayfever. In a recent study from Allergy UK and Kleenex it was reported that 49% of the UK population is affected by hay fever and 37% of sufferers had developed symptoms in the last five years, (Allergyuk.org, 2021).

Hayfever symptoms can come in a variety of different forms:

• Runny or blocked nose
  
• Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
  
• Itchy, red or watery eyes
  
• Sneezing
  
• Headache
  
• Shortness of breath
  
• Feeling tired
  
• (NHS.UK, 2021)
  
  Some hay fever symptoms can even include poor sleep, struggling to concentrate or be productive as well as anxiety.
  
  The most effective forms of preventing symptoms of hay fever are; taking antihistamines, checking the pollen count forecast to see if you should avoid going out, and showering as well as changing clothes after being outside. Some other do’s and don’ts to help reduce your hay fever symptoms are:
  
  

  Do's	Don'ts
  Do put vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen	Don’t cut grass or walk on grass
  Do wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting to your eyes	Don’t spend too much time outside
  Do stay indoors whenever possible	Don’t keep fresh flowers indoors
  Do keep windows and doors shut as much as possible	Don’t dry your clothes outside as they can catch pollen
  Do vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth

  
  
  These are just suggestions to reduce the severity of symptoms, some of these are not always achievable.
  
  If you are suffering from hay fever and need some advice on what medication you need then feel free to come into Bampton Pharmacy and talk to one of our Pharmacists. We have antihistamines, eye drops and nasal spray available.
  
  You can look on either the NHS website or Allergy UK to learn more about hay fever:
  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hay-fever/
  https://www.allergyuk.org/allergy-awareness-week-2021