Sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes? Spring has sprung early this year and some of you might be coming down with symptoms of spring allergies. With that being said, we hope that you don’t panic when your coworker sneezes next to you. As some of you are still on your toes about whether or not a cough or a sneeze is COVID, flu or something else, in this case it might just be allergies.
AFC Urgent Care New Bedford has some tips that will help you stop sneezing this allergy season. We are also here to clear up the messy confusion between allergies and COVID-19 and other illnesses.
Here’s Why It Could Be Just Spring Allergies
Unfortunately, spring allergies are here. Here are a few reasons why this allergy season may be affecting you.
Priming Effect: The “Priming Effect” occurs when temperatures shoot up and plunge quickly in a short amount of time. This causes people to be hyper-sensitive to the new pollen and causes an increased sensitivity.
Warm Winters: Warm winters play an impactful part on allergies. Warm winters can also increase your allergy sensitivity.
Some of the symptoms of COVID-19 overlap with symptoms of spring allergies. The main symptoms of COVID-19 to worry about are these respiratory symptoms that can be problematic for someone who has asthma:
- Shortness of breath
- Congestion
- Low grade fever
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
Symptoms that indicate it might be seasonal allergies are:
- runny nose
- Itchy, red watery eyes
- rapid sneezing
- clear mucus
- and sometimes even asthma symptoms
Reducing Exposure to Spring Allergy Triggers
Here are some tips in reducing the unwanted allergy triggers.
- Stay indoors on dry, windy days. The best time to go outside is after a good rain, which helps clear pollen from the air.
- Avoid lawn mowing, weed pulling and other gardening chores that stir up allergens.
- Remove clothes you've worn outside and shower to rinse pollen from your skin and hair.
- Don't hang laundry outside — pollen can stick to sheets and towels.
- Wear a face mask if you do outside chores.
- Carrying your inhaler, especially if you are asthmatic! People who suffer from asthma might be triggered due to spring allergies. It’s best to stock up on inhalers so you can prepare for the spring season!
If you want to take extra precaution, you may want to check your tv or the internet for the pollen levels. Checking this on a daily basis can help you take an extra step towards fighting the spring allergies this season. Here are some home remedies that can potentially help you from these bothersome triggers:
- Limiting pollen exposure to limit spring allergies
- Taking medicine early to relieve spring allergies
- Rinsing your nasal passages regularly
- Spring cleaning for your spring allergies
- Natural remedies for spring allergies like vitamin C
AFC Urgent Care New Bedford Can Help Treat Spring Allergies And Asthma Symptoms
This spring, make sure that you’re not feeling too under the weather to enjoy the warm weather! If you don’t feel that your seasonal allergies are under control, visit our urgent care center in New Bedford, MA for allergy relief and treatment for asthma!
We also offer Rapid antigen and rapid molecular COVID-19 testing 7 days a week with no appointment needed to rule out COVID-19. AFC in New Bedford is here for you!
